I long for meaningful roles: Mandira Bedi

Mandira Bedi, who broke ground as one of the first women to host cricket on Indian television, admits she still feels a sense of nostalgia when she reminisces about those days, but she has made peace with the shift in her career.“When the telecast rights moved to another channel, I was not associated with it. I felt sad but then had to move on. Honestly, I believe that everything happens for a reason and then your path shifts to another space. Being 31 years in the business, I’ve done so many different things throughout my career. I look at the variability of it all and I’m nothing but grateful.”When asked if she would like to return to hosting cricket, she says, “If it means keeping me away from my kids for 15–20 days at a stretch, then I can’t do that. I would have to get my mom to fly down to Mumbai. I would have to make major adjustments. Right now, work is making me travel for a few days here and there. I work 12–14 days a month, and that keeps me in a good place because I’m a very hands-on mom.”Mandira who was last seen in the web show, The Railway Men (2023), says that acting is something that she is still passionate about. “What I do miss is acting, it is still close to my heart,” she says, adding, “Working on The Railway Men reminded me of how alive I feel in front of the camera. In recent times, I got offers to play a cricket presenter or news anchor, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m an actor at heart, and I long for meaningful roles.”