How Pari became Menaka

She has always been known as the actress with a difference. Be it her looks, lineage or the roles she has been portraying, Manninee De-Mishra has always been able to make her presence felt on screen and off screen. Coming from the royal family of Orissa and born to a Sahitya Akademi award winning mother, culture has always been in her blood. Currently she is busy with handling the leap in Naaginn being telecast on Zee. Manninee is also readying herself for a pivotal role in Smriti Irani's new serial Maniben dot Com. Tellychakkar managed to speak to Manninee on her way back from Jaipur where she had gone to attend Juhi Parmar's marriage. Maniben dot com has made news all over the place. It will be one of the most awaited serials on Indian television this year. Tell us something about your role there. I am playing a character called Menaka in the serial. Menaka is a typical high society lady who thinks she is the richest lady in town and always try to dominate and control her husband (Dilip Rawal) in all aspects of life. However, her status as the richest lady in society gets stolen by Maniben once she enters the scene. The storyline of the serial revolves around Maniben and Menaka and their hilarious encounters. Maniben Dot Com is one of the most successful plays in Gujarati. How is Smriti Irani as a producer? I only have good things to say about Smriti Irani. She is an extremely gifted and talented person and we are lucky to have her in our industry. She is very sharp and is focused and knows what she wants. As a result she is very good as a producer as well. This is the first time I am working with her. When most actors are doing multiple serials in parallel, you are seen in one or at most two serials at a time. Are you very choosy about your work? For me, quality is always more important than quantity and thus I am very choosy about my work. Thus you see me in lesser number of serials as compared to my peers. Plus, for me my first priority is my husband Mihir and daughter Dianoor. I will never take up work at the cost of ignoring them. I drop my daughter at school, help her with her studies and try my best to spend time with her. I don't think in the long run, doing many serials will be worthwhile on the professional and personal front. From Pari in Jassi to Ambalika in Naagin, it is quite a change. How has your journey been in the last few years? When I look back at the events shaping my career in the last few years, I do have immense satisfaction in seeing what I have done. What makes me happier is the fact that the roles I have played have been unique and one of a kind. The role of Pari in Jassi was a type of character that was not seen in Indian television earlier. With Pari it was what you see is not what you get. Portraying it was a difficult task on screen, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Naagin – the show that I am doing currently has also been a satisfying experience for me. Though it is taking a leap now, my character and look remains unchanged since it is more like an Oracle. When are we seeing you on big screen again? (Manninee has done films like Krishh, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai) Pray for me. I have two meetings lined up in this week, I am also eager to working in films once again. Working in films gives me a good kick.