*People said I was A Bewaqoof'

‘Everything in life is about timing.’ ‘I came to films when the disco craze had started.’ ‘Everything just fell into place: The shorts, the slimness, the songs, and my combination with Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri.’

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It was the time to disco when Kalpana Iyer burst onto the Hindi screen in the early 1980s, and her lightning-fast moves made her the era's dancing queen.

Still, she had her struggles. Through 20 years of films and television, followed by an exile in Dubai for the last 25 years, she has faced ups and downs with continuous courage and grit. Kalpana may not own the lavish material possessions of today's stars but feels she has the satisfaction of being her own person and learning to flower wherever she is potted. “Dubai weather is stunning right now ... I could dance all night,” she says. “If I didn't need the money, I would have just been a typical studious girl who went to Bharata natyam classes. But that is not how it was meant to be for me.”

Many people feel a sense of disconnect when they see you in silk saris and spectacles today because they remember you as the dare-bare vamp who danced like a livewire onscreen to '80s disco numbers.

I agree with the 'dare' label but about the 'bare' part, I didn't have much choice. The reality is that even in those days when I wore hot pants for jhatak-matak dance numbers, I was always seen in saris otherwise. I even compered a film award show wearing a sari and tons of gajra in my hair.

How did the film industry react to this dichotomy?

I have faced name-calling because I wore saris: People would call me 'behenji' to 'maami' to 'old-fashioned'.

So which was the real Kalpana: The 'Chhodo sanam' girl or the behenji?

There are a thousand Kalpanas (laughs).

Which Kalpana would you like to preserve?