What's the big dealin showing a bare back, unhooking a bra or flashing the panties? Who is saying that I am the new Mallika Sherawat of Bollywood? Neither Vivek nor Vikram said it. Then who is spreading this? It's not for nothing that Vikram Bhatt has begun to address Paoli Dam as "Ms Damn Good".

Her "Hate Story" dialogues - "Main iss shehar ki sabse badi randi banna chahti hoon (I want to be the biggest whore in the city)" and "I f**k those who f**k with me" - have sent ripples across board. If that's what she says on screen, her off screen bytes are equally upfront.

The Tollywood actor, who is making her Bollywood debut in Vivek Agnihotri's "HS", says her job is to perform and the director and producer are to answer questions regarding the censorship issues of the film. "I don't understand this whole commotion about wearing bikinis or flashing panties.

Haven't I done all that before? But yes, the difference is in the way those same scenes have been shot in this film. I am an actor and the camera needs to make me look beautiful on screen when I am shooting those scenes," she insists.

It's not about how much you expose as much as how much the camera can make the viewers imagine about the exposure quotient," she says, before insisting that despite the sexy trailer, the film is not graphic in terms of nudity. And it certainly is no patch in terms of its sexual content if compared to her controversial full frontal love making scene in Vimukthi Jayasundara's "Chatrak".

Ask her about the fact that she apparently had no inhibitions about shooting any sex scenes in front of the full crew and she says, "It's a cliche to say I don't have inhibitions. But whatever I shot for this film was with my clothes on.

There is no nudity as such in "HS". It is a thriller and at the most, there are intimate scenes.

Vivek, I'd say, has treated those intimate scenes very aesthetically. As a director, Vivek is someone who always tells people: 'Mere eyeline ke samne se hat jao'.

That automatically means he doesn't like to have a crowd while we are shooting." As far as sensuality goes, Paoli feels it's about time for Bollywoodto grow up.

"There was a time in Hindi cinema when women commanded a sensual presence. Not every heroine who did that had to shed their clothes.

Look at Rekha and her sensuality. It's her body language, her look and the way she carried herself on screen.

Somewhere down the line, Bollywood movies turned women into mere props. But now, things are changing and more so, with the success of Vidya Balan's recent films.

I think, it's the best time for me to be making my Hindi film debut. Contemporary Bollywood's conception of being bold is dated! Being bold is not about unhooking a bra.

It is about the thought. My sensuality lies in my eyes and not my bare back," she insists.

Tell her that her trailers of 'HS' are making people say that she is the next Mallika Sherawat of Bollywood and she says, "Who is saying that? Vivek or Vikram hasn't said anything like that." Will she be game if she is again asked to shoot a full frontal nude scene? "It depends on the aesthetics of the director, his stature, the script and the pitching of the film," she asks a rhetorical question.

While shooting the intimate scenes of "HS" (even the ones which has her "Kagojer Bou" co-star, Joy Sengupta, literally groping her all over) wasn't any tough task, what was difficult was the fact that she had to master Hindi and dub for herself (less)

"What is bold for you may not be bold for me. Boldness is a state of mind," Paoli, now the lead actress of Bollywood film Hate Story , said to be topped with dollops of sex and violence, told IANS in an interview.

No wonder she picks roles that most other actresses would think about twice before giving the nod to. "As an actor I am choosy about the script and the projects that I do.

But when I take a project, I don't have any dilemma about it," said Paoli, who plays a sex worker in Hate Story . "I want to do good cinema with good directors and banners.

Script matters to me. I am a newcomer and different people have their own way of growing.

I don't want to compare myself with anyone. For me bold is beautiful in its own way," she added.

Her parents aren't complaining of her choices either. " Hate Story is my first Bollywood launch.

My parents and friends are very happy about it. I have been bought up as an individual and my parents respect my decision (to do bold films).

I have my own individuality and, besides, I am an actress," she said. "For me, the movie is about performance and it showcases the power of women.

Yes, there are bold scenes in the film, but it has been shot aesthetically," added Paoli. Hate Story , being touted as an 'erotic thriller', is directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Vikram Bhatt .

The movie, about the transformation of a simple middle class girl to a sex worker to seek revenge, has released with an A certificate. Paoli plays the lead role of Kaavya, a journalist.

"I had got a call from Vikram who offered me this role. I know Vikram is a sensible director; I liked his script as it's a very powerful role.

It's a female-oriented film and I had a lot of space to perform. "My character is shown as a confident and a very today's girl.

The story is about revenge with a bold concept," she said. Paoli went out of the way to shed 10 kg for the role, which marks her foray into the Hindi film industry.

"I have shed 10 kg for this film. When I had come to Mumbai, I weighed 55 kg.

But Vikram asked me to shed weight. He said the script demanded a lean and thin girl.

"I went on strict diet and I used to work out thrice a day. Finally I managed to shed the extra kilos and came down to 45 kg," said the 31-year-old (less)