Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) After proving herself as an actor and an anchor on the small screen, Mandira Bedi is now all set to shake a leg for Star Plus’s special Independence Day show. “This will be the first time I will be dancing on the small screen and I’m pretty excited about it,” Mandira told IANS on the sidelines of an event here organised by Timex watches.

“I’m not a good dancer but I’m giving it a shot. I’m hopeful that my fans will surely like my dancing act,” she added.

Not many people know that Mandira has done an item number for Tamil movie “Manmadhan” in 2004. Her dancing skills were also seen in the 1995 blockbuster “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” in the song “Mehndi laga ke rakhna” where she matched steps with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

So now what about doing an item number for Bollywood?

Mandira says she is open to the idea but is waiting for the right offer. “A peppy song and a good banner will make a perfect combination,” Mandira said.

The actress, who was last seen on the big screen in Sanjay Gupta’s “Dus Kahaniyaan”, is now all geared up for Pritish Nandy’s “Meerabai Not Out” - a cricket-centric film in which India’s test captain Anil Kumble plays a cameo.

The cricket crazy actress essays the lead role in the film. Her association with cricket started when she hosted “Extraa Innings” during the World Cup tournament in 2003 and 2007 and became known more for her noodle-strapped blouses.

Talking about her role, Mandira said: “In this movie, I eat, drink and sleep cricket. It is all about cricket fans and their love for sport heroes. And this is the first time (Anil) Kumble will appear on screen. It will be a treat to see him acting on the silver screen.”

The actress, who made an everlasting impression with her with long-running soap “Shanti” on Doordarshan, is not interested in doing any more serials.

“‘Shanti’ was a dream debut for me. It was a long series but not a stretched soap drama that we have nowadays. It is so boring for me to be a part of these never ending dramas,” said Mandira, who featured in a negative role in Ekta Kapoor’s “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thhi”.

Achint Kaur is now essaying the character.

Mandira is mostly anchoring reality shows now. Recently she finished hosting music show “Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar” and has now replaced Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishen as the anchor of Zee TV’s reality show “Ek Se Badkar Ek”.