Bipasha Basu at the press conference of IIFA Singapore, 2012 |
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| Born | 7 January 1979 New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Occupation | Film actress, model |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Partner | Dino Morea (1996–2002) John Abraham (2002–2011) |
| Website | |
| BipashaBasunet.com | |
She debuted in a negative role in Ajnabee (2001) which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first commercial success was Raaz (2002). She was then noticed for her bold role in the erotic thriller film, Jism (2003). She starred in top grossing films like 2005's biggest hit – No Entry, Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006) – her biggest commercial success till date and Race (2008). Her performances in Apharan (2005), Corporate (2006), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and Lamhaa (2010) won her multiple nominations for several awards. She is frequented in the media as a "sex symbol".
She has been nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress twice each along with one nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Roles apart, she is also renowned for her item songs like "Phoonk De" in No Smoking (2007), and "Beedi" and "Namak Ishq Ka" in Omkara (2006). Basu is slated to make her international film debut with the 2012 Australian film Singularity.
Early life and modeling career
Basu was born in Delhi to a Bengali Hindu family. She is the second of three sisters, the elder one being Bidisha and the younger one, Bijayeta. She lived in Delhi till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School. Her family then moved to Kolkata where she studied science till 12th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Don' in her school as everyone was scared of her and she was short and round.Basu moved to the commerce stream after 10th standard, studying at Bhawanipur Education Society College in preparation for the 12th standard board exams. At this time, she began doing ramp shows and modeling part-time.In 1996, she won both the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest and the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest. Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company and began her successful modelling career at the age of 17. She then appeared in the Calida commercial along with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea which was controversial for picturising them sultrily. She had some protesters outside her house after that. She has appeared on over 40 magazine covers.
Acting career
Debut and Breakthrough (2001–02)
One of the judges of the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Basu participated, Vinod Khanna, wanted to launch her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in Himalay Putra, but she felt she was too young and declined the role which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. After returning home, she was convinced by another judge, Jaya Bachchan, to play the role of a village belle opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta’s Aakhari Mughal. However the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made Refugee with Kareena Kapoor. Basu was also offered a role in Refugee opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.In 2001, Basu finally made her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Vijay Galani’s Ajnabee. The film, directed by Abbas-Mustan, was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults. It was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics. However, Basu’s performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
In 2002, Basu starred in the year’s most successful thriller, Raaz. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the film established Basu in the Hindi film industry. Her portrayal of a woman who is pursued by a spirit received positive reviews. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance." She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raaz. She then appeared in supporting roles in Sanjay Gadhvi’s Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai and David Dhawan’s Chor Machaaye Shor, both of which failed critically and commercially. She also appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, Takkari Donga as a mischievous thief, Panasa. Gunaah, which released later that year, was also a box-office failure. She played the role of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him. Derek Elley of Variety observed that Basu was a miscast as the "idealistic cop".
Initial success and struggle phase (2003–05)
In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt’s thriller, Jism, which was well received by critics and fared well at the box office. She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extra-marital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. The film ranked 92 in the top 100 sexiest movie scenes poll conducted by Channel 4.Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented, "...the real show stealer is Bipasha Basu ; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi." She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for Jism. Her next release, Zameen, failed to make impact among audience.Basu had four releases in 2004, all of which performed moderately and drew mixed reviews. She collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her first release Aetbaar. She played the role of a young girl who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "...The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting." Her next film was Mani Shankar’s Rudraksh which was based on the Indian epic Ramayana. The film was a disaster at the box-office and was panned by the critics.She then starred in Rakht as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of Planetbollywood wrote, "Bipasha Basu impresses in a different look and role." Her final release that year was Anil Sharma’s Madhoshi opposite John Abraham.Her performance of a mentally unstable girl was generally well received.
In 2005, she appeared in the love triangle Barsaat alongside Bobby Deol and Priyanka Chopra. Taran Adarsh commented, "...As an actor, she [Bipasha Basu] does show sparks only towards the end."She also starred in the Tamil film, Sachein which was a hit and then in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, which won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. In this period, she refused to act in art-films due to salary problems. Besides acting, Basu did the video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, Kismat. She made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video Stolen.
Success (2005–2009)
After a slow start, Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of No Entry, Corporate and Dhoom 2. No Entry grossed 71 crore at the box-office and was the highest grossing film of 2005. Basu essayed the role of a bargirl who acts as wife of two men. She earned Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. 2006 was equally successful for her with her four major releases, Phir Hera Pheri, Corporate, Omkara and Dhoom 2, performing well critically and commercially. Phir Hera Pheri became the ninth highest grossing film of the year. She was featured in a bit but significant role of a con woman who steals a sum of 10 million from the protagonists. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, she gave up her glamorous look for the role of a businesswoman who has no qualms in taking advantage of her sexuality to con the CEO of a rival company. She won accolades from critics for her performance. Critic Aparna wrote, "[...] she has done a fabulous job as an ambitious woman. The kind of shrewdness in a woman that she essays has never been seen before in India films." She was nominated for the second time for Filmfare Best Actress Award.In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello, Omkara, Basu essayed the role of Bianca. She caught the attention of public with her dance number Beedi which was highly popular in India and overseas. Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "...Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that." Basu became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in Aditya Chopra’s Dhoom 2. She reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and gently slips into the shadows as a pretty accessory."
In 2007, Ronnie Screwvala’s Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal performed below average at the box-office. The song picturised on John Abraham and Basu, "Billo Rani", became quite popular and earned her the nickname "Billo Rani", though equal credit must be given to Omkara in which her name was Billo Chanambahar. In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas-Mustan for Race. She played the role of Sonia who is stuck in a love-triangle between two brothers (played by Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) and through the course, she murders one of them. The film grossed 68 crores at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India and performed good enough overseas as well. Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She’s superb". Basu’s work in Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her earned her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She completed 2008 by appearing during the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
Her first release in 2009, Aa Dekhen Zara failed to do well at the box-office. Rohit Shetty’s All The Best: Fun Begins performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans. Later that year, Basu surprised everybody with Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film, Shob Charitro Kalponik. "I love saris and I'm wearing a lot of them in Ritu's film," she said. She gave up her glamorous look and was praised by critics for her performance. Critic Subhash K Jha spoke high of her. He said, "...Bipasha [Basu] pulls out all stops to deliver her career’s best performance. Her moments of anguish before and after her screen-husband’s death are expressed in tones of cathartic conviction that we never knew existed within Bipasha." He also compared her with the multiple award winning actress, Shabana Azmi, commenting that Basu’s anguished portrayal of bereavement can be equaled by Azmi only.
Recent Work (2010–present)
"I've never done a film like this before. The role requires me to be
someone else altogether. I've to change my entire personality. And for
this I needed help. I wanted to play the character the way girls really
are today in Kashmir. Very basic [...] I think I'm going to be more
keen on getting it right than the director. Going to Kashmir and
getting to know the local way of life was difficult. All said and done
it's still not entirely safe in Kashmir."
Her only release in 2011 was Dum Maaro Dum which performed reasonably well at the box-office and met with good reviews from critics.Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is DMD [Dum Maaro Dum], in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it." Basu collaborated with Abbas-Mustan for the third time in Players which became the first release of 2012. The film was an official remake of The Italian Job. Players was heavily compared to The Italian Job and was criticized for its execution and performances, including that of Basu. She made her English language debut with Roland Joffé’s epic drama Singularity which will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. She plays the role of a Maratha warrior Taluja Naik in the film.Basu is also signed by Vikram Bhatt for the third time for Raaz 3D, the third film in the Raaz series. Principal photography of the film began in January, 2012.She will also be seen in a guest appearance reprising her role of Race in the upcoming film by Abbas-Mustan, Race 2.
Personal life
Basu was in a relationship with her Raaz co-star Dino Morea since 1996 till they broke up in 2002.Soon afterwards during the filming of Jism, Basu began to date her co-star John Abraham, and they were in a relationship till early 2011 when the couple officially broke off. While together, the two were often referred to as a supercouple in the Indian medi Basu has been in the limelight since her bold role in Jism. She ranked 8 in Times 50 most desirable Women in 2011 and ranked 13 in 2012. UK magazine Eastern Eye named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia" twice in 2005 and 2007.
Basu is an advocate of physical fitness. Apart from films, she released a fitness DVD called Love Yourself, which emphasized on being strong, healthy, and loving one’s self. She was also the brand ambassador of Sugar Free, which helped her promoting the DVD. Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment said, "A celebrity like Bipasha Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness."She had previously worked on another fitness video called Bollywood Bodies with John Abraham.
Filmography
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Bipasha Basu
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