'People did forget that I am an actor', says Mandira Bedi

She made a successful transition from TV shows and movies to a cricket presenter but Mandira Bedi believes her stint as an host overshadowed her acting career.
Mandira is still remembered for popular daily soaps like "Shanti" (1994) and "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" (2000). She made a mark in Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol blockbuster "Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge" in 1995.
"Till the time I did cricket I was known for the roles I played. But when cricket happened, people started to know me as a person. But people forgot that I was an actor and I was not getting any acting job," Mandira told PTI in an interview.

The actress, however, has no regrets about how her career panned out.
"I have been working for 12 years. There is no frustration or regret at all. I feel blessed to have such a varied profile," she says.
Mandira considers her switch to a cricket presenter as a "turning point of my life."

"Cricket was a great turning point in my life. Even when I got films, I was asked to play the role of a cricket presenter or cricket commentator. The roles that I was offered were closer to being a presenter."
The 45-year-old actress will be next seen in a short film titled "The Gift" alongside Gul Panag and Kushal Punjabi and is also working in some other films.

"It seems people have woken up today as I have got some really good roles and they (makers) are looking at me as an actor again. I am doing a couple of films... I am busy with my acting job. There is lot of interesting work in the pipeline be it web series or films."
In "The Gift", Mandira will play a character of a modern and edgy girlfriend.
"There are three main characters in the film - husband, wife and the girlfriend. I play the girlfriend."
She is also working in a web series and in a Tamil film in which she plays a cop.

"There is a web series that I am doing. It is set in Goa. I play a gangster's wife. It is a 12-episode series. I am done with the shoot.
"Then there is a film called 'Vodka Diaries' with Kay Kay Menon. I am playing a cop's wife in the film. There is also a Tamil film in which I play a cop. I am glad all the characters are different from each other.