Manini Mishra, Mahi Vij in Encounter

Mahi Vij and Manini Mishra will be a part of the crime series Encounter along with Vinay Jain and Siraj Mustafa. While Manini plays a cop, Mahi will be seen as a gangster. "It's the first time I am playing a gangster. In fact, I always wanted to do play one. That's the main reason I took up the role. Also, the story is completely women-centric," says Mahi who plays Aashna, a girl who stole and ran away from her home in Ujjain. Aashna dreamed of leading a good life and was willing to go to any length for it. When she came to Mumbai she met a don, Bijoy (Siraj) and joined his gang. Within a short span, she became a key member in the crime world.

For her role, Mahi studied about the girl on whose life the series is based. "Before going for the shoot, I got a feel of the character. It has a lot of shades to it. Also, though it's a gangster role, I played it subtle," says Mahi who has kept away from daily soaps. "I have become home and Jay (Bhanushali)centric and I need something really interesting to pull me out," she smiles.

Interestingly, while Aashna became a dreaded gangster, it was another woman, a cop, Mita who all but caught her leading to an enounter! Says Manini, "I love playing strong power-oriented roles. I just finished playing a DGP in Diya Aur Baati Hum and Mita in Encounter is powerful. I have been lucky makers have allowed me to experiment with my roles."