Mahi getting in shape to sport bikini

Actress Mahi Gill, who is stepping into Bindu's iconic 'Mona Darling' act in Apoorva Lakhia's 'Zanjeer' remake, says the glamorous role pushed her out of her comfort zone.

Gill, 37, made her debut in Bollywood with Sudhir Mishra's 'Khoya Khoya Chand' but became famous with her role of Paro in 'Dev D'.

The actress says she never gave importance to her looks until now.

"This role is quite difficult for me because I have to concentrate on my looks. It was a challenge for me because I have never given importance to my look and always concentrated on performance.

"Here, I need to look good and this is something out of my comfort zone. My costume designer and hair stylist have taken a lot of effort to do justice with the character. It's really difficult to maintain all the glamour," Mahi told PTI.

In the film, which will also be made in Telugu, the actress will be donning bikinis. Mahi has taken to yoga to get in shape.

"Normally, I do one hour of yoga everyday but when I got the offer to play this role, I had to increase the duration of my exercise to get into shape," she said.

The film also stars Southern actor Ram Charan Teja, Priyanks Chopra and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles.

Meanwhile, Mahi's role in 'Saheb Biwi Gangster Returns' is being appreciated but the actress credits script behind it.

"I am lucky that I am in the industry at a very right time because people have started experimenting with scripts. I feel scripts are the real hero these days. Even audience have become smart and they have started believing in these kind of films. I am lucky that I am getting such roles."

Mahi may have got her lucky break with 'Dev D' but she was forced to say no to many offers after the film because producers wanted her to do bold roles. The actress, however, is happy with the way her career has shaped up.

"It was a big turn off for me. I was getting offers where directors especially wanted to cast me in bedroom scenes. I rejected those offers and chose intelligent roles," said Mahi, who also has a parallel career in Punjabi Cinema.