Not a publicity stunt, I was unwell and resting: Veena Malik

Controversial Pakistani actress Veena Malik, whose sudden 'disappearance' became a talk of the town, today said it was not a publicity stunt and that she was just resting in a hotel as she was not keeping well.

"This was not a publicity stunt. A person cannot do two such (publicity) acts in 15 days, " the actress said. Few days ago, a nude picture of Veena, sporting an ISI tattoo on the cover of the FHM magazine had caused much outrage. However, Veena had denied posing nude for the magazine.

Following this, there were reports that she has been receiving death threats. "I was keeping unwell since quite few days. I had called up Ashmit Patel and my mother that I was going to the hotel as I was unwell, " she said.

Veena, who went 'missing' since December 16 from the sets of her upcoming film 'Mumbai 125 kilometres', was found at a suburban hotel in Mumbai yesterday.

Her manager's claims she had gone missing without informing anyone, had created a hullabaloo. There were also reports that she had left for Pakistan as her father had disowned her after her nude picture and that her visa was to expire.

However, the actress said it was due to the long shooting hours and no breaks between her working schedule, that she had fallen ill.

"When I got to know that the shoot is over, I called up a close friend of mine to pick me up from the sets. I had taken anti-biotics and so was sleeping for about 20-24 hours, " she said. When asked who that close friend was, Veena refused to give any details.

Following the high dose of antibiotics, the actress said she slept and was surprised to know that everyone had been finding her since then. "The moment I got up, I called up my manager and informed him about my health. I also want to meet my father and clear things, " Veena said.