"I don't look at other girls' bodies" - Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu tops the list on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 celebrities. She appears on the cover of the magazine's latest Indian edition, in her sexiest avatar yet. She dethroned last year's hottest celebrity Deepika Padukone. Here Bips talks about being sexy and smart.

How do you rate your body on a scale of one to ten?
It depends — as a woman or on an athletic level. As a woman, I would rate myself 8/10 while on an athletic scale I would rate myself 7/10.

Which is your favourite body part?
My legs. I need to work out the least on my legs. I genetically have long legs and they're always pretty toned.

Name one B-Town actress who has a better body than you.
I don't look at other girls' bodies (laughs). But I think all actresses here have good bodies. In today's times nobody is out of shape.

One Hollywood actress whose frame you admire?
Halle Berry. She has a great body. I feel as a woman you have to have curves and a toned body. You can't be very thin or you look under- nourished. A woman, who is tall, well-built, and curvaceous yet toned with a good body is my idea of a perfect frame. Indian women are blessed with great curves but we just need to tone our bodies.

What's the best compliment you have received?
I have received many but right now after a decade in the business I find it a huge compliment to be in the No 1 position in Maxim's Hot 100 especially as it has a worldwide circulation. I also got many compliments for the sports shoe campaign I shot with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I also got many compliments for the bikini in Dhoom 2.

After 10 years have you become blase about your body?
Not at all. That's why I still work out for a hour and a half every day. It's not just about looking good but also being healthy and fit.

Would you rather be called sexy or smart?
I think sexiness is a personality trait while smartness is an adjective which is include in one's personality. I am both sexy and smart.

What's the worst thing about being a sex symbol?
It's the assumptions that people have — that sexy women can't be intelligent or that they are easily available. It's about who is what individually. One cannot generalize. Fortunately neither of these assumptions has never bothered me.