After Mahhi Vij played the first lady underworld don Aashna in Sony Entertainment Television’s Encounter, talented actress Aarti Singh will now play the Bollywood sex bomb Mandakini. The episode will dwell on Mandakini’s underworld connect with the dreaded gangster Dawood Ibrahim. For Aarti, who has been part of saas-bahu sagas like Grihasti, Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hain, Parichay and recently seen in Uttaran, this role will be a challenging one. When contacted, Aarti confirmed the news saying, “Yes, I will play Mandakini in Endemol India’s upcoming episode of Encounter. It is a challenge for me to portray this beautiful and difficult character. Let’s see how I go about it. When I got this role, I immediately called concerned people of my ongoing show Uttaran to adjust my dates. I simply did not want to lose this opportunity of playing the role of Mandakini.” Actor Ganesh Yadav, who has been part of path-breaking movies Company, Vaastav has been roped in to play the role of Dawood Ibrahim. The shoot for this particular story will go on floor in a couple of days time.