Mrinalini Sharma: 'Don't call it an item number'

Mrinalini Sharma has claimed that she hates the term 'item number'.

The actress made her first Bollywood appearance in a one-off dance sequence for the film Apaharan, which co-starred Ajay Devgan.

Sharma told The Times of India: "I have a huge issue with the term 'item number' because the word 'item' here is a gender-specific term.

"Moreover, the song I debuted with had a decent video. But apart from that tag, I never had any issues with such songs, nor will I have in the future."

Sharma added: "Movies just happened. I never had dreams of becoming an actress. I went to the audition on a lark and Bollywood just happened. It wasn't strategised.

"The reason we could pull it off is thanks to immense support and trust we got from home and we're lucky that way."

The 29-year-old former model will next be seen in Jodi Breakers opposite Bipasha Basu.

Several high-profile actresses including Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra have started performing item numbers in films.

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