Giaa Manek looked like a fairy without wings in her exotic attire of the genie in Jeannie Aur Juju on SAB TV. The sprightly character she plays as Jeannie is a polar opposite of the demure saree clad Gopi Bahu we were used to seeing her as. Giaa confesses, "If Gopi was East, Jeannie is West. I didn't want to get typecast with playing a bahu."

Did Giaa ever dream of playing Jeannie? No, not even in her wildest dreams. The actress says, "When I was a child I watched the American sitcom I Dream of Jeannie while I used to have milk. However I could never have imagined that I would later get an offer to get to play the same genie.  So I jumped at the opportunity of playing the genie on this sweet show."

Giaa is having great fun playing Jeannie on the show as she feels that the character is quite like her. She explains, "Jeannie is somebody who is very sweet, naughty and a complete brat. The only difference between Giaa and Jeannie is that Giaa doesn't have the magical powers that Jeannie possesses."

According to Giaa this show is a lovely escape from the mundane realities of life. She points out, "We after all lead a very hectic life full of strife and fights. After returning home from a hard day's work you wish to watch a feel good escapist show."

Giaa says that she won't say no to any roles, even that of a vamp provided the roles are interesting. She says, "I won't decline any role. After all none of the roles is my real life character. It is an actor's  job to slip into various roles." 

Reporter and Author: Pallavi Bhattacharya