MUMBAI: Actress Mandana Karimi will be soon seen in the web series "The Casino", a project that she got after a long time.

"I had tears in my eyes when I was offered 'The Casino'. I couldn't believe it! After two years break and not having any release, it was really hard for me to get work," said Mandana.

"A year and a half ago I spoke to a dear friend of mine, (filmmaker) Anurag Kashyap, about why I wasn't getting work and what I should do. He gave me the best advice -- 'work on your craft, take workshops, stop trying too hard, trust your journey, be honest and work hard not for money but for the love of art'. He gave me a few numbers of acting workshops where I met Saurabh Sachdeva (acting coach) and started training with him for four months. His classes changed me as a person and as an actor," she added.

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By January, she started giving auditions for a couple of projects for an OTT platform.

"People started noticing the change in me too. Finally I got a meeting for 'The Casino' and we signed just a few days before leaving for Nepal," said the former "Bigg Boss" contestant.

"The Casino" is her first web series.

"It is also my first release since 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3'. I was looking forward to the promotions and screening of the show, but I am glad that during these tough days when everyone is looking for new content, we are going to entertain the audience," she said.

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