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Bipasha: For me, lovemaking is no big deal
For Bipasha Basu, this could be the perfect instance of life coming full circle. The former model, who started her film career 10 years ago with Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee, will now be seen in the director duo's upcoming film Players.
In conversation with Sonil Dedhia, the actress talks about her career, the rumours surrounding her and explains why she is paranoid about kissing on screen.
A decade ago, you made your debut with Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee. Now, Players is your third film with them. Have they been instrumental in shaping your career?
I wouldn't have been an actress if it wasn't for Abbas-Mustan. They respected me and gave me good treatment in my debut film Ajnabee.
We have a sense of understanding and over the years, we have developed a lot of trust. I am sure that whenever they cast me they are going to give me a character which is memorable. They always know how to get the best out of me.
'Russian men are very intimidating'
Abbas-Mustan consider you their lucky charm...
I am not such a big believer in luck. I believe in human relationships and talent and having a cordial working relationship.
The Mini Cooper sequence is the most talked about in the film.
Yes, it is the most pivotal part of the film. I can say that we have excelled at it and taken it to another level. The Italian Job came out in 1993 and our film is releasing in 2012, so there had to be a lot of improvements. The essence of the scene from the original movie still exists in our movie.
Is it true that you were stalked in Russia during the shooting of the film?
Yes, but that's not happened for the first time. It was a little scary as we were shooting at a place called Murmansk in Russia, which is a desolate place. Russian men are very intimidating. They are huge and pale so it was a little scary.
'I refused to wear a bikini in Dum Maaro Dum'
You have redefined glamour with your new bikini look in the film. Filmmakers are still exploring the glamorous side of Bipasha Basu.
I like to be in sync with my characters. I can do films like Aakrosh and Lamhaa as convincingly as I did the bikini scene in Players.
I am flexible and don't shy away from anything.
A film like Players can have a bikini scene because it is a very swift thriller, somewhat on the lines of James Bond films. I think wearing a bikini just for the sake of wearing it is a waste.
In my earlier film Dum Maaro Dum, director Rohan Sippy asked me to wear a bikini. I declined because I didn't think it was in sync with my character.
'Abbas-Mustan make sexy films which are way ahead of their time'
Why did you agree to wear a bikini for Abbas-Mustan?
We are talking about sexy films and I think Abbas-Mustan make sexy films which are way ahead of their time. They are very bold and they have a sense of style and fashion. They shoot it very stylishly so it never looks vulgar.
There is a fine line between looking vulgar and looking sexy and when you are with Abbas-Mustan, you are surely going to be in safe hands.
It is said that you had to really go through the grind to get the look right.
When you are wearing a bikini, it is going to be on celluloid for the rest of your life and you don't want to embarrass yourself.
I am shooting for my second fitness DVD in April and I will soon be coming out with my third DVD, which is going to be about beach body workout. My trainer and I have made a scientific routine of six weeks to acquire a beach body.
We did six weeks of training with proper diet, and let me tell you, I hate dieting. I can hit the gym at any time but I cannot diet.
'I was petrified about the kissing scene in Bachna Ae Haseeno'
So it must have been really tough to diet for six weeks?
Yes, it was. I am a Bengali and for six weeks I was not allowed to eat anything sweet. During the shooting, I could see ladoos and gulab jamuns flying all around me (Laughs).
I remember we finished my bikini sequences in ice cold weather and the assistant director came to me with a plate full of cup cakes and I gobbled down six of them!
Do you set any limits on how bold the scenes can be?
For me, lovemaking is no big deal; it's just like any other thing in the film. But when it comes to kissing on-screen, I have not yet overcome that.
It's tough... it's too private a moment because of the way we have been brought up, and also because of the cinema we have been exposed to.
When I started acting, kissing was not common in our films. I can't overcome that easily.
I have had just two kissing scenes. I remember when I had to do a kissing scene with Ranbir in Bachna Ae Haseeno, I was paranoid. For one month I tried to get out of it. Every single day I would go up to Aditya Chopra and Siddarth Anand to cancel the scene and they would just laugh it off. I was petrified!
'Raaz 3 is going to be one of my most challenging roles'
Saif Ali Khan reportedly said that Indian filmmakers are still struggling to capture the perfect kissing scene on celluloid. Do you agree?
As actors, we have certain inhibitions. The moment you see that the actors are not inhibited, it looks perfect. I have some inhibitions and it is really tough for me.
You are doing Raaz 3 with Emraan Hashmi who is known to be a serial kisser!
Why do you want to scare me (Smiles)? I am going to start shooting for the film from January and it's like a bomb on my head which will explode at any time.
Raaz 3 is going to be one of my most challenging roles.
'I couldn't work with Emraan Hashmi earlier as he was too young'
You had refused to work with Emraan Hashmi earlier because you had problems with his appearance.
I did not refuse to work with Emraan. It's just that I couldn't work with him. He was really young and I have seen him when he was 18 years old as an assistant director on Raaz.
When we were approached for a film, I looked way older than him because of my weight. Today I look younger than I looked then. I also have to be convinced that I should look good with whoever I pair up with on-screen.
So are you saying that you would refuse a role if you aren't compatible with your co-actor?
Definitely, I think of whether I would look good when I am paired opposite someone on celluloid. It's my choice and I don't think anyone should be entitled to question my decision. It's my life and I choose what I want to do.
'I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise'
The cast and crew of Players were present at the premier of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol but you were missing from the event. Was it because of a tiff with Sonam Kapoor?
The rumours are all false. Sonam personally called me for it but I was shooting in Goa with R Madhavan for Jodi Breakers. I cannot leave my shooting just because Tom Cruise had come.
Now, if it had been Brad Pitt, I would have left anyone to meet him! (Laughs). I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise.
There are rumours that you will be at the Sunburn Festival in Goa this year.
NO, and write that in capital and bold letters. I don't know where these rumours are coming from. I would love to go but I am very busy promoting Players.
'I have become thick skinned'
Have you thought about marriage? Some reports claim that you are getting married next year.
I am not getting married next year. The day I find a good boy, I will get married.
I want a mini R Madhavan, a fitter and younger version of him. He is a superb person. He is the most amazing actor I have worked with. On screen we look fantastic together.
Why did you refuse to do an item number in Zilla Ghaziabad?
I have never heard of it. I keep hearing that I am out of some film or I have replaced someone in a film. My manager must have heard it, but I am not aware of it.
How do you tackle gossip about yourself?
I don't get affected by rumours. After all these years, I have learnt to deal with them. Gande ki chamdi hai (I have become thick skinned) (Laughs). People very close to me affect me, and at the end of the day, I know the truth.