TOI article jaipur girl in Ektas show

She debuted in Bollywood with 'Main Nahin Anna', but then, turned to television. Shireen Mirza is now all set to act in Ekta Kapoor's next, 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein'.

"The credit of getting this role goes to my looks, as it closely matches that of the character of Simran that I am doing in the serial. It's a typical Punjabi character who is colourful, energetic, extrovert and an upfront girl. She's beyond imagination, and sarcastic yet funny." The character comes up with several shades in the coming episodes, says Shireen. "There's so much in the character to play with, and I always wanted to work with Ekta."

Mirza who graduated from Maharani College in English and Dramatics also did theatre in Jaipur for quite a long time. And she always wanted to be an actor ad started her filmi career with an English film Not Today, which was also shown at various film festivals. But this is not her first exposure to the small screen, as she has already hosted the kids reality show Apka Sapna Hamara Apna with Ali Asgar. "That was fun and I enjoyed hosting it. In fact, that show only made me realize that even the small screen can give you the same satisfaction if you love your work," says Shireen.

Shireen's also been seen in 24, in which she played a news reporter. Sharing an interesting story about getting the role she says, "I did not know anything about this serial, nor gave any auditions for it. Someone had suggested me after seeing my pictures on a social networking site. I was very surprised. I gave auditions for three different roles and got selected for that of the TV reporter. Though it wasn't a very substantial role, I am happy to work," says Shireen.