Kajal Aggarwal who is debuting alongside Ajay Devgn in Rohit Shetty's 'Singham' is not interested in giving up her southern actor tag. The actor says, "I will never be disrespectful to the Telugu and Tamil film industry. I have been brought up to respect my roots. I owe my acting career to them."

The Mumbai-based actor reportedly stirred up a controversy down south when she said she doesn't consider herself to be a south Indian actress, as she is Punjabi by birth. Following these reports, angered Tamil and Telugu producers issued statements saying they will ban the actor from working in south Indian films.

Reacting to the alleged ban, the actor says, " I'm really hurt and angry that someone has started this whole 'ban' issue without bothering to speak to me." She goes on to say, "I was shooting for a Telugu film Dhada with Nagarjuna's son Chaitanya in Germany when these rumours started. I have not heard from any association wanting to ban me because I guess everyone in a position of power knows the truth."

Kajal asserts that she will not give up south films even if she gets more Hindi film offers. The actor, who has worked for four years and acted in over 21 films, says, "I plan to continue with my south films simultaneously with Hindi projects. There is no question of choosing one over the other. I am working with the best talent there. Why would I give it all up?"

The actor reveals that director Rohit Shetty spotted her in Telugu film Magadheera and offered her 'Singham'. She says, "Language wasn't a problem. But I was reserved in the initial days. Rohit and Ajay's pranks made me loosen up."