‘I would wear a bikini even at 40’

Model-turned-actress Poonam Pandey will start shooting for her first item song in the Kannada flick, Love is Poison soon. The actress says she is ecstatic about debuting in Sandalwood with this song. Though her in-your-face attitude can be a little hard to deal with at first, her honesty puts you at ease. She is quite unabashed about her sexuality, her decisions in life and says she doesn’t regret anything she has done so far. After all, it is what has brought her where she is today. Post Nasha, Poonam says she was flooded with film offers. “The moment I heard the song, I loved it,” says the actress who admits that she has no clue about what the song is about. So why did she decide to dance to it “Well, it has a good beat, this is the first time my fans will see me dancing and the money is good,” she adds nonchalantly. Rumour has it that Poonam is being paid '60 lakh to shake her hips and we ask her to confirm this. She gives a politically correct answer, without as much as denying the rumour. “No one has ever spared a second to know if I have any other talent to my credit. I have always been branded as the bikini model or at times even labelled with words that are not so polite. This song is to show people that there is more to me than what meets the eye,” she asserts. The 21-year-old is as bold and free in her thoughts as she is with her actions. “I love the sex symbol tag that I have and would never want to get rid of it. I would wear a bikini even when I am 40,” she reveals. “Ranbir Kapoor did a towel scene in one of his movies, but the matter died as soon as it surfaced. If I was to do the same, people would talk about it forever. I inevitably keep stumbling into controversies,” Poonam claims. “My decision to go nude for the Indian cricket team gave me enough mileage and I am not ashamed to admit it,” insists the Commerce dropout from Mumbai. “I always hated studies and today I am glad where I am. People have started accepting and respecting me for who I am. My family too has understood me now,” she adds. Incidentally, when her mother saw her first bikini photo shoot, she went berserk. “She wanted to belt the photographer. Though they are not thrilled with the photos, it doesn’t matter, because I like doing things that people would think twice before attempting it,” admits the actress who is also an avid reader and has just finished the Shiva trilogy.