Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see her in high spirits when we meet her at her Nariman Point office. We settle down over a cup of coffee strong enough to wake up a dead man. She is excited and willing to talk about Neeyat, her first shot at being an independent producer under her banner Karnik Communications -- named after her kids Karan and Nikita. It premiered six weeks back and has already notched TRPs of 11. "I turned producer only to fulfil my desire to act and do the kind of roles that I want to," admits Reena.

For those who haven't kept track of Neeyat here it is in one line: it's about this girl, Shefali, whose mother dumps her family to get into the glamorous world of films and when Shefali grows up, she takes to the same career with vengeance in her heart and snatches away everything from her mother. The character of Shefali, feels Reena, is very challenging as she is a sensitive girl who has had a very bad past, who's very insecure but appears very confident in front of the world. Reena is also hopeful that this role will prove her histrionic abilities. "If Neeyat doesn't do anything for me, nothing can help," she confesses, quite honestly. "Initially, it was just that I'll produce a serial. But now I'm bothered about how successful the company would be as it's a business now and my company is here to stay," she adds.

Diametrically opposite to Shefali is the character of Sanjana in Reena's forthcoming home production, Ek Mulakat, which should be on the air by November on STAR Plus. It's a true life love story with a blend of two cultures, set in Rajastan -- that's how she describes it and doesn't want to say any more.

But how many of you know that Reena's association with television began with Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi? She played the chirpy, daughter of Farida Jalal in over 60 episodes. After which she got married at the insistence of her parents, refusing several acting offers. She then, settled into the groove of a housewife. She has no regrets and feels that every protective parent would do the same. However, she did keep up the pressure on her husband, Ashok a chartered accountant, about her obsession to act. He was only too willing to cooperate and Reena feels that without his support her return to the small screen, would have been impossible.

And so her second innings flagged off with Sattee Shourie's Yug as freedom fighter, Ratna. But her acting career didn't really take off as this was followed by some inconsequential roles in serials like Betaal Pachisi and Samjhauta: either the role was not satisfactory or the serial went off the air and she claims that the one thing she could never do is "choona lagao" (buttering) the directors and producers.

That's when she decided to create her own software company. However, she is quite upset with the misconception making the rounds that she is ready to work in projects only if there is something substantial and if they give her centre stage.

Reena doesn't have a very high opinion of the current crop of serials. "I'm not a television watcher, but from the time I got into all this, I take pains to watch some programmes just to know what's happening and I think there are not too many good serials around." On the home front, Reena's kids are not really bothered to watch their mama on the box, but her husband is a complete critic who analyses the entire episode beginning with her make up, hair style and dresses to her performance. And not forgetting her responsibilities of a mother and a wife, during her free time she is busy picking up the children from school, studying with them and stocking the refrigerator with fruit. "Even when I'm shooting and if I come home as late as 3 in the morning I make it a point to peep into my kid's bags, look through their books and check their things. Now they are slowly learning to accept my absence," says she.