AFTER entrenching herself playing the role of the lovable Nandipha Sithole on SABC3 soapie Isidingo, Hlubi Mboya is excited that she finally got to play a role she terms a "sexy ass" villain for a change.

Mboya, 36, is referring to her new character as Khanyi in one of Mzansi Love 2 dramas Last Resort.

The e.tv film will air on June 17 as part of the Mzansi Love series.

As a 21-year-old trying to make her mark in the local TV industry, Mboya took on the role of the first HIV-positive character in a local soapie as the long-suffering and vivacious Nandipha on Isidingo.

Mboya told the media that being cast inthat role at the time was a professional gamble she never dreamed would catapult her to such success.

After leaving Isidingo in 2011, she has been largely on a hiatus, and worked on projects that included a role in the film How to Steal Two Million with the likes of Terry Pheto and Rapulana Seiphemo.

Mboya broke away from the sweet Nandipha typecast and played a role of a tough thief in the movie.

Her other projects included a film titled A small Town Called Descent and small once-off characters in local sitcoms.

The reason she is relishing the role of Khanyi is that she has been yearning to showcase her versatility from what many viewers have seen of her.

"I think SA hasn't seen me enough in other roles. The storyline (of Last Resort) is a love triangle and Khanyi is a super bitch," says Mboya.

"I had loads of fun playing the role and the people on production were fun to be around."

The sexy actress has been on a comeback trail with sexier and grittier roles.

Her other acting project that is garnering attention is her role in the heist movie iNumber Number. She plays Gugu, the daughter of a gangster.

Mboya is also part of the cast of the upcoming SABC1 sitcom Mfolozi Street which will premier next month.

Here, she plays a mother of two and the storyline  is based on a family living in Soweto, their challenges and experiences in the township.

As busy as her acting schedule may seem, Mboya says she is a family-orientated person. "Family is everything. No matter how busy we are, we should make time for our loved ones. Family is life."

Mboya has been making preparations to tie the knot with her long-term partner after he paid lobolo last year.

She reveals that her traditional wedding to Kirsten Arnold will take place on November 14 and the white wedding is planned for March 15 next year. "We have been together for 13 years and he has paid lobolo for me already.

"It is just that we are getting married and that is all that will change."

Explaining this busy period in her career, Mboya says it is about the passion for the art but also about hustling.

"It is what I love to do. I kind of feel like I have evolved as an actress," she explains.

The local film industry has seen a notable spike in employment for actors, though it remains to be seen whether this is sustainable.

The actress thinks that performers should also become activists. "Actors should fight for their rights. They should do research on things like getting paid for re-runs.

"We once had a situation where we had to stand our ground for that and we eventually got paid for the re-runs."

Looking into the future, Mboya hopes to be involved in more than just being in front of the camera. "I know actors from all over the world are trying to create employment. I, personally, would like to open an agency for that reason."