Islamabad, Dec 19 (PTI) Actress Veena Malik today denied reports that she had quietly returned to Pakistan following a controversy over a nude shoot for an Indian magazine, saying she was resting in a Mumbai hotel to recover from exhaustion.

Against the backdrop of reports that she had mysteriously disappeared, Malik said she had changed her hotel in Mumbai and switched off her mobile phone as she wanted to rest. She told Geo News channel that she had been feeling unwell after working for up to 18 hours a day.

The 33-year-old actress, who has been troubled by several controversies, said she was now staying at the Oakwood Hotel in Mumbai. Malik's conversation with Geo News marked her first contact with anyone in two days.

Earlier, speculative media reports on both sides of the border had claimed Malik had crossed over to Pakistan via the Wagah land border. The reports further claimed the actress, wearing a burqa, had crossed the frontier on foot.

Malik went "missing" two days ago after returning from a film shoot in Mumbai. Her manager Pratik Mehta told the media that her cell phone was turned off. Some reports had suggested that Malik had returned to Pakistan to renew her Indian visa but sources close to the actress said her visa was valid till December 24.

The actress' family in Islamabad said it had no information about her whereabouts. Malik was recently criticised by hardliners and extremists in Pakistan for appearing topless on the cover of FHM India magazine with the letters ISI painted on her arm.

She filed a suit against FHM India, claiming damages worth Rs 100 million, while the magazine counter-sued her for Rs 250 million.