"The song Khullam khulla was a turning point in my career," she says. "No one refuses an offer from Ram Gopal Varma. Neither did I. But unfortunately, I was branded as an item girl.

"I have serious objection to being called an 'item girl.' How can a woman be an 'item'!" Koena exclaims. "The word should be removed from the dictionary. Madhuri Dixit was a graceful dancer. Do you call her an item?"

But, post-Road, most of the offers Koena received were item numbers like Aisa jadoo dala re (from Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee), the title song in Karan Johar's production Kaal and a song from Ketan Mehta's The Rising.