"I play a tomboy sort of girl" – Bipasha Basu
With a star on the Bollywood Walk of Fame (we wish), kilos of awards and rewards on her mantelpiece, eight strong years of her relationship with John Abraham, she's been a mainstay on the 'most beautiful' lists for almost a decade now and a whole host of film projects ahead of her, life is good right now for Bipasha Basu. We also researched about the bong babe's 'thriller' fascination.
Right from her debut mystery film Ajnabee to the present Race and to her newest next Aa Dekhen Zara, Basu has a knack to turn the thrills into chills. So before we got to talk to her over a specially arranged interview, Bips decided to add some frills too - It took us fifteen text messages, a few phone calls and two days to get through to her. But what added the thrill to our conversation was that the dusky damsel apologised on making us a bit distressed, not that we wished her to do, but she sweetly did, making us feel mortified.
Our gets up close and personal with the exuberant, fervent and coherent actress Bipasha Basu where she unlocks the mystery about the high point in her career, her latest film Aa Dekhen Zara co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh, director Jehangir Surti, boyfriend John Abraham, her gruelling fitness regime, her best captured moment on the digi cam and why the Indian Film Industry desperately requires a casting director.
To
be
blessed
with
both
good
looks
and
talent
is
one
thing
and
to
be
also
blessed
with
a
beautiful
figure
is
another.
What
sort
of
gruelling
work-outs
has
the
bong
bombshell
tried
and
tested
for
Aa
Dekhen
Zara?
(Laughs)
There
isn't
anything
special.
I've
been
following
a
very
healthy
way
of
living
for
the
last
five
years.
I
got
into
working
out
right
from
No
Entry.
Everything
takes
time.
You
can't
get
fit
in
just
two
months.
So
I
guess,
with
each
passing
year
I've
passed
through
different
levels
of
fitness.
Now
I
am
in
this
phase
where
I
am
enjoying
all
sorts
of
activities.
It
could
be
weight
training,
cardio,
yoga,
etc.
I
try
a
bit
of
everything
and
mixing
it
up
depending
on
the
type
of
roles
I
play.
For
certain
roles,
you
could
be
a
bit
curvaceous,
sometimes
you
need
to
be
a
little
more
athletic
and
depending
on
that,
I
change
my
mode
of
training.
Ajnabee,
Raaz,
Jism,
Dhoom
2,
Omkara,
Race
and
now
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
What's
this
attraction
to
thrillers
Bips?
Well,
I
have
to
thank
Ajnabee.
I
never
used
to
watch
Hindi
films
while
I
was
modelling,
and
because
my
first
film
was
a
thriller,
it
got
me
the
much
acclaimed
fame,
and
there
I
was
in
the
world
of
acting.
I
somewhat
have
this
special
love
for
thrillers
and
I
love
watching
them.
It's
great
to
be
a
part
of
so
many
thrillers
I've
worked
in.
Do
you
think
the
mousey-girl-next-door
type
roles
are
passe,
out,
I
mean?
Mousey
is
a
little
difficult
for
me
to
play
anyway
(laughs).
If
I
did
play,
I
could
be
a
very
strange
mousey
girl.
I
can't
be
little
because
I
am
tall
(laughs).
Jokes
apart,
a
girl-next-door
role
is
definitely
not
passe.
It
has
been
an
essential
crux
of
quintessential
Bollywood
for
years,
and
yes,
there
is
a
scope
for
such
roles
still
but
being
stylist
and
glamorous
has
surely
taken
over,
and
that
in
turn
is
because
the
actresses
are
too
glamorous
now-a-days.
This
is
going
to
be
Neil
Nitin
Mukesh's
first
theatrical
release
in
the
U.K
and
with
you
adding
the
thrills
and
chills,
it
just
adds
on
to
it.
Are
you
more
anxious
like
him?
I
am
never
really
anxious
about
any
of
my
films
because
I
enjoy
doing
them
and
I
just
leave
it.
Then
it's
the
audiences
call.
I
would
want
them
to
like
the
film
but
sometimes
things
don't
go
your
way.
Even
if
they
don't
like
my
film,
I
don't
get
disappointed
and
I
move
on.
So
anxiousness
I
don't
have.
I
am
happy
because
it
is
yet
another
film
which
is
different
and
fun
and
I
enjoy
it
even
more
when
I
work
with
new
talents
like
Neil.
I
am
getting
to
work
with
so
many
kinds
of
heroes
and
he
is
definitely
a
new
kind.
It
was
interesting.
So
how
are
the
singing
abilities
of
this
'new
kind'
hero
Neil?
(Laughs)
Very
good,
and
better
than
mine
for
sure.
Neil
tried
his
level
best
for
me
to
sing
too
but
I
told
him
that
no
one
is
going
to
listen
to
my
songs
if
I
sing.
So
let's
just
spare
our
film
with
my
voice
for
singing.
I
have
no
aptitude
for
it.
But
people
have
really
liked
the
fresh
take
on
Aa
Dekhen
Zara.
ADZ
-
The
Rising,
the
band
was
launched
for
the
film.
It
takes
us
back
to
the
band
which
Pritam
launched
for
Anurag
Basu's
film
Life
In
A
Metro.
Don't
you
think
these
bands
should
not
be
restricted
to
one
film
alone?
Absolutely
right.
But
they
are
getting
a
great
platform
to
showcase
their
talent
by
providing
music
to
the
film
and
at
the
same
time,
we
did
the
big
launch
to
promote
the
band.
The
band
is
tremendously
talented
and
to
hear
them
live
was
like
something
else.
I
think
a
band
with
the
film's
music
together
is
a
great
association
for
each
of
them.
You
cannot
just
tie
them
down
to
one
film.
Their
work
should
grow,
not
stop.
Any
research
went
into
playing
a
DJ?
I
have
no
idea
about
DJ's
except
the
fact
that
they
play
great
music
and
entertain
a
lot
of
people.
The
DJ
part
is
the
back
story
of
the
film
and
it's
just
one
song
'Rock
The
Party'
where
we
show
a
little
bit
of
DJ-ing.
When
you
give
a
profession
to
a
character
and
a
back
story,
it
helps
in
a
way
to
perceive
the
character
and
how
he
or
she
would
look
like
or
how
they
would
behave.
My
role
is
of
an
independent
girl
living
in
Kolkata
who
aspires
to
be
a
singer
and
she
is
into
music
all
day.
She
is
a
tom
boy
sorts,
she
speaks
very
firmly,
she
has
got
a
great
sense
of
humour,
and
she
has
an
indigo
coloured
hair,
a
tattoo,
wears
funky
pants
and
cargos
throughout.
It
helps
to
style
the
character
differently.
What's
the
best
moment
you've
captured
on
your
digi
cam
so
far?
It
was
30th
of
July
2008
when
my
niece,
Nia,
was
born.
I
was
in
the
gymnasium
when
my
mother
called
informing
me
that
the
baby
was
delivered.
I
rushed
back
and
there
she
was.
A
picture
perfect
moment.
Has
there
been
a
high
point
so
far
that
you
look
back
at
and
think
that
where
your
career
has
changed
direction?
Honestly,
I've
never
really
thought
so
much,
neither
have
I
planned
right
from
day
one
where
my
career
will
lead
me
to.
For
a
person
who
didn't
want
to
be
an
actor,
then,
getting
into
it
full
time
as
a
profession,
liking
the
work
I
do,
everything
has
been
different
you
know.
At
various
points
of
time,
my
first
film
Ajnabee,
then
Raaz,
then
people
telling
me
don't
do
a
Jism
and
still
doing
it,
going
into
No
Entry
to
do
a
full
on
commercial
masala
entertainer,
then
Corporate,
Dhoom
2,
Race,
Bachna
Ae
Haseeno,
I
think
the
high
points
have
been
many
and
I've
enjoyed
every
bit
of
it.
No
matter
what
I
do,
even
the
smallest
of
the
roles
have
got
me
some
kind
of
appreciation,
and
I
thank
my
audiences
for
that.
Brief
us
through
the
debutant
director,
Jehangir
Surti.
(Laughs)
He
is
a
very
shy,
sweet
and
a
timid
kind
of
a
guy
making
this
thriller.
We
always
had
to
shake
him
up
and
say,
"Jehangir
you
have
to
start
cracking
the
whip
and
sometimes
scream
and
shout
on
the
sets".
So
I
did
a
little
bit
of
Jehangir's
work
for
the
first
two
weeks
(laughs).
I
was
the
one
cracking
the
whip
because
I
was
the
only
seasoned
person
on
the
set
and
everyone
else
was
relatively
a
new
comer.
They
were
all
really
scared
of
me
and
that
got
them
into
a
little
bit
of
discipline.
I
had
to
act
off
screen
too.
They
say
that
if
the
casting
of
the
film
is
right,
you've
won
half
your
battle.
Casting
directors
don't
exist
in
Bollywood.
Do
you
think
they
should?
You're
right.
We
still
don't
have
casting
directors
in
Bollywood.
I
wish
we
had
casting
directors
and
our
business
was
well
organised
and
functioning
that
way.
But,
the
kind
of
stories
we
make,
don't
require
a
casting
director.
We
make
fun
fantasies
and
sell
them
all
the
time
and
these
are
the
kind
of
films
accepted
widely
as
Bollywood
films.
Definitely,
we
are
having
a
change
and
are
making
different
films
but
the
numbers
are
very
few.
A
casting
director
is
a
must
for
our
movies
now
because
we
are
experimenting
so
much
with
our
stories.
It's
time
for
a
change.
Is
it
getting
easier
to
juggle
being
an
A
list
actor
who
is
still
single?
I
will
be
single
till
I
get
married
(laughs)
but
at
the
same
time
I've
been
in
a
relationship
with
John
since
eight
years.
It
feels
like
me
and
John,
have
been
a
couple
for
eight
years,
all
going
pretty
and
strong.
I'm
loving,
every
bit
of
our
relationship
which
we
are
juggling
since
almost
a
decade
now.