/> On the sets of Anamika in Rajasthan, director Ananth Mahadevan can't stop teasing Koena Mitra.

"I turned down Aksar. And he just can't stop reminding me of it. I do regret losing out on that one," laughs Koena throatily.

With adaptations being the order of the Friday, Ananth Mahadevan's take on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca would surprise the late British author as much as Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkarr would have jolted Mario Puzo.

In Anamika, Ananth's version of Rebecca the sultry Koena Mitra has been cast in a role that never existed in the original.

Says Koena, "I can easily say this is the meatiest role of my career so far, and just the challenge I needed to move forward as an actresss. I play Dino Morea's childhood sweetheart who still has the hots for him. It's basically a triangle among me, Minissha Lamba and Dino.

What I like about this role is the challenge of fitting into a part that is entirely new to the original part. Anamika doesn't have more than a handful of characters. So I get a chance to make my presence felt. Nowadays every director wants to make a multi-starrer where one just gets lost.

To have a suspense thriller where just three characters take center- stage is a very big thing at this stage in my career. "

"My next release Apna feel my best time has arrived now. But for that I first need to create a body of work that I can be proud of.