At a time when almost every second television actress dreams of becoming a leading lady in Bollywood Misra comes as a pleasant surprise.
She minces no words when she says that she has no illusions about herself. "I’m in my early 30s, I have a kid and I’m happily married. I believe I’ve got more than I ever dreamt of," she says. For somebody who never thought that she will become an actress, Maaninee says that it doesn’t matter to her if she does not get to play lead roles, whether in films or on television. "People who play only leads get stuck in the whole business of always wanting to play leads," she reasons.