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Bipasha: Humshakals was the worst experience of my life

Bips discusses the challenges of working on a creature film (admittedly inspired from Godzilla and Jurassic Park but a tad small in scale), her rumoured beau, and why Humshakals failed.

After the debacle that was Sajid Khan's multistarrer comedy Humshakals, Bipasha Basu will be seen in a lead role in Vikram Bhatt's horror-thriller Creature 3D.

Close on the heels of her last horror films Raaz 3 (2012) and Aatma (2013), Creature 3D is another addition to Bipasha's vast repertoire in the genre.

Ahead of the film's release on September 14, Bips discusses her new film, her rumoured beau Harman Baweja and what possibly went wrong with Humshakals.

You have said that Creature is not a horror film. So what would you call it?

I would say it is a thriller.

It is an amazing ride of fear. It’s the fear that you felt in Anaconda, Jaws and Jurassic Park.

You will be scared but you will be excited as well.

It is not surreal.

It will be a visual presence, something that is actually happening, not something that is left to the imagination.

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'The first ten days, I was going crazy'

Is the film inspired by Godzilla and Jurassic Park?

Yes.


Creature features are done very well in the West. They have massive budgets so their Godzilla is huge. Ours is 10-12 feet but bahut dum hain usme bhi (there is a lot of power in our creature too).

When I shot for the movie, I did not know what I would be battling with.

I was just shown its height, and where its face would be. I was given the makings and the movements of the creature.

An action double would show what kind of movements had to be done.

After that I had to imagine who will be in front of me and I had to get scared and react accordingly.

When I was shooting, I had no idea what he was going to look like.

It was very tough shooting for the film; I can say this was the toughest film of my life.

Every take was done three times before it was okayed.

The special effects guy irritated the hell out of me.

He would make me do the same thing again and again with tracking points, with duplicate, without duplicate and every time I had to show the same emotion.

The first ten days, I was going crazy but then I got used to it. It is tough shooting a 3D film.

'All my friends call me blonde, they think I am a goofy girl'

What attracts you to such films? You have done negative roles, unglamorous roles, horror films, and now this…

I am a blonde. I don’t look it but I am. All my friends call me blonde, they think I am a goofy girl.

I don’t have a plan in place; I just do what I like. If I am excited about something, I do it.

Sometimes friends ask me ‘What are you doing?’ and I just say ‘I want to do it’. I am very stubborn that way, if I want to do something, I do it.

That’s why my journey has been so amazing. There have been mistakes but they are mine. I don’t feel bad about them.

When I get applauded I don’t need to share it with anyone, it’s completely mine. It makes me feel good about myself and about the decisions that I have made in my life.

When you ask, 'why a supernatural film?' I wonder what to answer this time. How to convince people that what I am doing is right.

There are limited genres in our business -- rom-com, wedding film, masala, slapstick, action -- so why not supernatural film too?

I am comfortable with it. If this is my space and I am the lone crusader here, I am happy to be here because meri pehchan alag hai (my identity is different).

I am making my own road; I am not travelling the road that has been travelled by everybody else.

And I am not doing the same thing that I was doing 10 years ago, so I like it.

 

 

'After earning a little money, I would go to Goa, sit on the beach, read a book...'

Is Vikram Bhatt the reason you do horror films? Did he convince you that this is your genre?

Vikram is not the person who did that, but he did convince me to be a part of this industry right in the beginning, during Raaz.

I was going back to college after Raaz but he stopped me and he stopped my education. He is the villain (laughs loudly).

Vikram told me I was talented and opportunities were coming my way and I shouldn’t run away from them.

He said I have to stop being this crazy girl who just wanted to go to Goa and have fun every time she made some money.

After earning a little money I would go to Goa, sit on the beach, read a book, listen to music and come back.

Vikram told me to get more responsible. He is instrumental in me being here.

After I joined the industry, though, we didn’t speak to each other for 10 years, for whatever reason.

He had his personal life, and professional life, my personal and professional life took over too.

It is great that I got my friend back. I really missed him. He is the only person in the business who I can truly call a friend.

Vikram still thinks I am a goof ball and I have not grown up.

I am still very childish and he knows the real me. He knows I am very trusting; I always trust my director and do exactly what I'm told.

'When I was around Imran, I felt that I needed to be a little more girly'

What was it like working with Pakistani actor Imran Abbas Naqvi? Is his working style different from Indian actors that you have worked with?

Imran is a very good actor. He is intense.

I feel he should do romantic, intense love stories -- he’s got those 'oh I am such a good lover looks.'

In the couple of romantic scenes we have, he is extremely good.

His way of speaking is very different.

When I hear him talk, I feel I don’t know Hindi at all because his Hindi is so chaste.

Whenever he came on the sets, we would ask him to talk and we would all sit and listen.

Upbringing of Bombay boys is very different. I am more of a tomboy, treating them like a buddy, backslapping them.

But when I was around Imran, I felt that I needed to be a little more girly, I should sit in a more feminine manner. 

'Rocky S in my rock'

Wendell Rodricks, who worked with you first on Jism, said in a recent interview that you are sexy and sensual and there is a unique aura around you…

So sweet of him to say that. Wendell has seen me from the time I was a kid, as a model.

He is a beautiful designer and makes clothes that make a woman elegant and feminine -- very simple, very understated. Lovely work, lovely guy.

You are very close friends with designer Rocky S. He is with you at every party…

I can’t do without him.

He is my rock.

Honestly, it is not about the parties at all. I am the only person in his life, I think, for whom Rocky will leave a party if I need him and come and sit with me for hours.

I went through a very horrible phase when I was in Australia. Rocky would skype with me for three hours after work every day. Even if we were not talking, we would always be on skype.

I think I was in some janam (life) his daughter or his sister, or something. I am deeply connected to him. He takes care of me like his own child.

The first time I worked with Rock, I was 16. I had just come to Mumbai and I did a photo shoot with eight other models. Rocky has a big heart. After the shoot he gave all the girls the footwear they had modelled with.

One of the girls bullied me and was trying to take away my heels. Rocky saw that and got me my shoes back.

Since that day, he has always been there to protect me.

'Everybody is complaining about the size of my ice bucket'

 

I watched your ice bucket challenge video right before this interview…

Rocky, I and Suzie are very good friends. Suzie got married six years ago and lives in Philadelphia now.

I think she has a very boring life, I can’t tell her that she will slap me.

She has a husband and two kids and they had nothing to do so they wanted to attack me. She kept on telling me on whatsapp that I had to do this challenge.

She pestered me to do it until I relented . I had a throat problem and had fever.

I was tired and exhausted, but she kept on asking so I went to the bathroom and did it.

Now everyone is complaining about my ice bucket. What can I do?

That is the size of my ice bucket. Nobody said how much to put in it. My head was fully wet. I did it around 10 or 11 in the night.

'I got six minutes of screen time in Humshakals'

You did not promote your film Humshakals. Was there a specific reason for that? What went wrong?

Everything went wrong.

It was the worst experience of my life.

It is not just the film -- I will never pull down a film because it is made with lots of money and lots of peoples’ effort.

I disassociated from the film because I didn’t have anything to contribute.

I got just six minutes of screen time. I never complained through the making of the film.

They would keep me waiting for hours and I would not say a word.

I cannot trust everybody I have realised that.

Singing the film was an absolutely wrong call on my part.

I was frustrated and this was the most frustrating experience of my life.

Vashu Bhagnani said he will never work with you again.

He didn’t mean it. He had invested the money and he was under a lot of pressure.

His son Jackky is a close friend of mine. They are like my family.

I never wanted to harm either Fox Star or Vashuji because I have a great equation with them.

They understand and know the truth.

'I am happy that I met Harman Baweja'

You dreamt of directing films…

It’s gone (laughs). My dreams come and go sometimes.

I evolve every year. I also harboured dreams of producing films. It was actually a nightmare.

Directing is the toughest job in the world. The moment I see a director, I feel empathy for them.

I am very happy being an actor.

There were rumours that you had got married. But you clarified that you wouldn’t marry on the sly.

I am not that kind of a person. 

It’s a very big step and I would like to share that news with everyone.

I don’t hide anything, especially not the most important things in my life.

So when I get married, everyone will get to know.

Are there any plans for marriage soon?

No. it is not on the cards right now.

How did you meet Harman? Tell us your love story.

I have not told this story to anyone so why should I tell you? (laughs)

I am happy that I met him. He is a wonderful human being. He is a great friend.

As a woman you evolve in life and finally it is about finding a friend, a true friendship and companionship.