Bollywood actor Mallika Sherawat says, acting opposite Hong Kong action movie hero Jackie Chan was a stepping stone in her career.

Sherawat played an Indian princess with whom Chan's character falls in love in "The Myth,'' which showed at international film festivals and was released worldwide last year.

"I've always felt it was a great honour to be associated with someone like Jackie,'' Sherawat told The Times of India newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday. "After all, the role took me to Cannes and Toronto, something that a girl born in Haryana can't even dream of.''

Sherawat, 34, was raised in a conservative family in the north Indian state of Haryana and moved to Mumbai, the country's entertainment hub, to pursue her acting ambitions five years ago. Since then she has acquired both staunch supporters and vocal critics for her scantily clad appearances in some 10 Hindi-language movies.

She said that her part in "The Myth'' helped her get a role in the new thriller "Unveiled,'' directed by Hollywood filmmaker Bill Bannerman. She plays a Muslim woman who moves from a conservative Muslim environment to the liberal West.

Sherawat said, acting in "Unveiled'' was part of her plan to reach the top.

"Everyone's worked out a strategy for themselves and I have mine,'' she said without divulging any specifics. "May the best rat win.''