'Sometimes the way you look could be a problem'

She’s one of Bollywoood’s favourite sirens. She’s got a body that others can only envy. Every time she’s on screen she oozes sex appeal. Increasingly, she is going for parts that prove there’s more to her than her hourglass figure. CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand chats with the gorgeous Bipasha Basu.

Rajeev Masand: Is it hard to look the way you look?

Bipasha Basu: For that, I would firstly thank my parents. It is like an acceptance speech that I am giving right now. So it’s the genes and of course, you need to work out. More so, it is a healthy lifestyle that I lead and I’m quite vice-free. I sleep on time, I eat good food.

Rajeev Masand: So no indulgences?

Bipasha Basu: No, not really.

Rajeev Masand: So nothing fattening? No ice-cream?

Bipasha Basu: No, I have a major sweet tooth. I don’t eat it everyday. I do have those days when I completely let go and I do everything.

Rajeev Masand: The problem that sex symbols usually have is with being taken seriously. Was there a time when you felt that people just would not go beyond the body?

Bipasha Basu: I think it was the total package people talked about. The body has become important only in the last two years in the sense that you have to be fit and toned. Sometimes the way you look could be a problem especially in a profession like this because people think you can’t look like the-girl-next-door. So a lot of people would say ‘we would like to have this girl-next-door but she’s not the regular girl-next-door’.

Rajeev Masand: So did you ever feel objectified or feel limited?

Bipasha Basu: No, I always worked on the kind of work I was getting and I tried my best not to limit myself otherwise I would have been very unhappy. Yes, a section of people would always perceive me as a sex symbol but that’s not such a bad thing. I realise that ultimately I’m getting to do what I want to do and I get a lot of compliments for the way I look. And in today’s time, even a girl-next-door wants to be sexy.

Rajeev Masand: While men find sexiness very attractive, did you ever feel that men were intimidated by someone who’s very confident and good-looking and sexy?

Bipasha Basu: Absolutely. I think it helps me in a way. When you have that kind of a personality, not everyone will come up and bother you. So it’s like you are protecting yourself without actually doing anything. So it’s a barrier which will make men think, ‘Should I talk to her, should I approach her?’

But the truth of life is that it’s not what you look like it is the person you are. I am completely opposite of what I look like. I’m very relaxed, jovial, and friendly, I get along well with people and I’m the kind of person who likes to live. So this whole image that I have is great for my work. Sometimes it does help. But I am not that completely.

Rajeev Masand: What are the movies in your opinion that made people sit up and take notice and convinced them that ‘she’s not just a great body’?

Bipasha Basu: I don’t know about that. I don’t think about it. I feel with each role that I have done, I have justified my character. Sometimes I do make mistakes and do bad films. But if I’m the one making the decisions, I’m allowed to go wrong sometimes. But I enjoy everything. I think the most difficult kind of role I did was in No Entry where I had to do this song-and-dance number where I had to be this kind of a person.

It was something like my character Monali in Dhoom 2, which was basically playing a dumb girl. So it’s very difficult to convince a house when you are an intelligent person, to suddenly play dumb. It’s the most difficult thing that I have done.

Rajeev Masand: It’s funny you say that because in both Dhoom 2 and No Entry, you were this sex symbol.

Bipasha Basu: Yes, absolutely. But it is difficult for me to be dumb. I’m very comfortable doing real characters, intelligent characters…

Rajeev Masand: Something like in Corporate?

Bipasha Basu: Yes, I wouldn’t say the character in Corporate comes easy to me but I can connect with it. It’s a lot of reality.

Rajeev Masand: A thinking modern woman?

Bipasha Basu: Absolutely.

Rajeev Masand: Is there a body that you would rather have?

Bipasha Basu: No. I’m a very content person. Yes, there is a body I would not like to have. A couple of years ago, I had completely lost myself, I was working around the clock, I was falling sick. I didn’t take time out for myself. The little time I had to myself I would give to people who are close to me. So I became a little selfish and started looking after myself and I’m pretty happy with way I am.

Rajeev Masand: So you have wizened up now?

Bipasha Basu: Yes, I lead a healthier lifestyle.

Rajeev Masand: You were in Cannes recently, promoting your film Goal. What was your first time in Cannes like?

Bipasha Basu: As I was driving up to the hotel, you could see the big posters and billboards of all the different movies being viewed. I could see actual film lovers queuing up to watch the films. There was the buzz, the tourists on the street, the shopping. I was like ‘I want to come back here next year and just spend some time.’ It’s such a big festival that celebrates cinema all around the world. It was fascinating. It was interesting that world now doesn’t have much of a limit. The boundaries are getting tinier and tinier. Any film can reach anywhere in today’s time.

Rajeev Masand: You were there for a very short time, right? Did you get a chance to do some shopping and look around?

Bipasha Basu: Yes, I did go into a few shops. The attention you get there is great. I had the same experience in Paris when I was modeling. Because of the kind of attention I was getting there, I had to come back to my country. I was like ‘This is not real’. In Cannes too, everyone was so nice even though they didn’t know who I was. They knew I was an Indian actor. They were so full of praises that you could feel, ‘Wow, I should just settle down here.’ It feels so good.

Rajeev Masand: Bollywood and its stars are slowly and surely becoming world famous, aren’t they? Who would have thought a couple of years ago that Bollywood films would be promoted at Cannes, for example. New markets are emerging for Bollywood and the stars are gong to become famous world-over. Are you excited to be in the centre of this whole thing?

Bipasha Basu: I think it’s a great time to be an actor especially for a female actor the choices of roles are too many. Indian women have evolved and people are ready to see her in various forms. There is no stereotype now. Everything has gone. There is no skin colour now existing, no particular type existing. Now that the boundaries are gone, it’s a great time for all female actors.

Rajeev Masand: It is interesting what you have said, that the lines are blurring and the world is becoming a smaller place. John has just done Water, which was released internationally, and then he is doing a film opposite Rachel Weisz. Are you excited about that?

Bipasha Basu: I was too excited when he told me he is doing a film with Rachel Weisz. She is stunning, an Oscar winner and its really an opportunity for him to work with her. It’s a great time to be in the Hindi film industry.

Rajeev Masand: Talking about fame, how do you handle fame? I know that it is difficult being a Bollywood star living in Mumbai. But you really let your hair down once in a while, don’t you? For example, during the monsoons you took that one walk down the Carter Road. Don’t you get bothered?

Bipasha Basu: I don’t carry the baggage of being an actor or a star when I go out. I go out like a normal person. I go to cafes, to eating joints, Barista, Café Coffee Day. I walk on the road and go to the shops. Leaving particular parts of Bombay I go everywhere. There are some limitations though, I used to be a little mad and I have got into trouble because of that. But I know what are my areas. When people see you regularly in places, they don’t bother you. They actually give you a smile and at times stop by to say hello, which is not a bad thing.

Rajeev Masand: One reads very funny stories about actresses who say they wear hats and burqas to stay away from the public eye.

Bipasha Basu: I think wearing a burqa won’t be a bad thing if you are going to Chor Bazaar (flea market) or a crowded cheap place. I have never done that though.

Rajeev Masand: You have a very funny incident to tell us about the time you had cut your hair while you were in London, don’t you.

Bipasha Basu: It happens to me all the time. I always escape crowds because without make-up I look much younger, much simple and could be mistaken for anybody. I tie a ponytail and roam around everywhere. I remember I had cut my hair short and I was walking with John when some girls said, “Look, John is walking with some other girl.” That was funny. But it happens all the time. I know that I can look different at times so I try to escape that.

Rajeev Masand: So much is made out of the fact that Bollywood is now ruled by the Bengali beauties. What are the distinctly Bengali traits that help you get an edge in this profession?

Bipasha Basu: I think in Bengali women, there is a very strong independent streak. When you come on screen, you create your own personal aura with your personality. Little bit of that screen presence always comes through. And Bengali women have that. When they walk, people notice them no matter what their size is. Short, tall, it could be anything. They are very independent and they have nice eyes. Bengali women are quite pretty.

Rajeev Masand:You came into the film industry as an outsider. You were a model and later a supermodel before you became an actor. Is there an actress whose career you would like to model your own career after? Who are the actresses that you grew up watching perhaps?

Bipasha Basu: I grew up admiring Zeenat Amaan, Parveen Babi, Sharmila Tagore. I loved all the sexy actresses who had that little zing to them. Performance-wise, I loved Jaya Bachchan for her roles in Mili, Guddi. There are all kinds of actresses that you admire, but looking closer I think its Tabu that I admire the most. She is one actor that I would definitely like to work with. I have never had the chance to tell her this. But she is somebody that I truly admire. I really like her body of work. She is very endearing, real and true. I also like Rani Mukherjee a lot.

Rajeev Masand:What kind of career do you plan for yourself? Do you plan to for very long?

Bipasha Basu: Are you giving me options? How does it matter what I choose? Is it really going to happen the way I want?

Rajeev Masand:What are you working towards?

Bipasha Basu: Nothing really. I have never been overtly ambitious ever. That really sorts me out as a human being. If somebody says what you think is different about you, I would say I’m not overtly ambitious. I am very hard working, would do everything that comes to me with complete dedication but I contain my ambitions.

There are a lot of people who say ‘right now I want to act, act, act. Acting is my life my love my dedication, everything.’ I am not that kind of person. For me this is a job that I enjoy and it’s for my bread, butter, jam, honey…everything. I need to earn that much amount of money to maintain my standard of living that I have had always. I look at life in a very practical manner. I thank God because I am in a job that I love.

I cannot imagine me being stuck in a job that I do not like to do. I know a lot of actors who are stuck in this job because they have nothing else to do. And that reflects in their body language and attitude. Right from the time they step into the studio they want to pack up.

Rajeev Masand:Are those difficult actors to work with?

Bipasha Basu: Not at all. They are nice human beings. It’s just that they are stuck in a job they don’t like. And don’t know what else to do. I see lot of them.

Rajeev Masand:I think acting makes one live out of the suitcase. Do you enjoy that?

Bipasha Basu: Ideally I wish I was still living like a paying guest. So that I don’t have to look after the house, don’t have to call the electrician, cable guy and pay 2,000 people for all the different things. Had I been a paying guest, I would only be paying to my landlord and be saved from all sorts of troubles.

As a model I have done that for over three years. I was damn excited when I got my place. Today also I threaten my mother, you never know when I might start living like a paying guest. But she tells me, ‘Nobody is going to keep you.’

So, I love the life of traveling, seeing places, meeting new people, eating good food—it’s a comfortable lifestyle really.

Rajeev Masand:Well, that’s great. Best of luck. Hope you always entertain us with great performances. Thank You for talking to us. We are looking forward to seeing what you are doing next.

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