Bipasha Basu
 |
| Bipasha Basu |
| Born | 7 January 1979 [1] New Delhi, India |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Bengali |
| Years active | 2001–present |
After a successful career as a fashion model,[5] Basu made her film debut with a supporting role in the thriller Ajnabee (2001), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first leading role was in the horror film Raaz (2002), which earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She was noted for playing a seductress in the erotic thriller Jism (2003).[6] She has starred in top-grossing films like No Entry (2005), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006), her biggest commercial success to date, and Race (2008). Her performances in Apaharan (2005), Corporate (2006) and Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) garnered critical praise. Other notable work include lead roles in the films All the Best: Fun Begins (2009) and Raaz 3 (2012), and popular item numbers in several films. These accomplishments have established her in Bollywood.[7]
Contents
- 1 Early life and modelling career
- 2 Acting career
- 2.1 Debut:2001–02
- 2.2 2003–05
- 2.3 2005–2009
- 2.4 Recent work: 2010–present
- 2.5 Sri Lankan award ceremonies
- 3 Other ventures
- 3.1 Fitness DVD launch
- 4 Personal life
- 5 Filmography
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Early life and modelling career
Basu was born to a Bengali family in Delhi, where she lived till the age of eight in Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School.[8] Her family then moved to Kolkata. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Goonda' in her school as everyone was scared of her short and commanding personality.[9] She has two sisters.
Bipasha Basu (5) at the IIFA Rocks fashion show
Acting career
Debut: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 Jaya Bachchan to star opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta's Aakhari Mughal.[13] However, the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made Refugee with Kareena Kapoor.[14] Basu was also offered a role in Refugee opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.[10]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.[15] It was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics.[16] However, Basu's performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.[10]
In 2002, Basu starred in the year's most successful thriller, Raaz.[17] Directed by Vikram Bhatt, it 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."[18] She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raaz.[19] She was appreciated in a supporting role in Sanjay Gadhvi's Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, a moderate critical and commercial success. However, in David Dhawan's Chor Machaaye Shor, was her first commercial failure. She appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, Takkari Donga.[20] Gunaah, which released later that year, was also a box-office failure.[17] She played the role of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him.[21] Derek Elley of Variety observed that Basu was a miscast as the "idealistic cop".[22]
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.[23] She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extramarital 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.[24] 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."[25] She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for Jism. Her next release, Zameen, failed to make impact among audiences.[23]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 woman who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "... The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting."[26] Her next film was Mani Shankar's Rudraksh, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. The film was a disaster at the box office and was panned by the critics.[27] 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."[28] Her final release that year was Anil Sharma's Madhoshi opposite John Abraham.[29] Her performance of a mentally unstable woman was generally well received.[30]
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."[31] She 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.[32][33] In this period, she refused to act in art films due to salary problems.[34]
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."[35]
2005–2009
Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of No Entry, Corporate and Dhoom 2.[3] No Entry grossed 750 million at the box office and was the highest grossing film of 2005.[36] 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.[37][38] Phir Hera Pheri became the ninth highest grossing film of the year.[39] She was featured opposite Akshay Kumar in a significant role of a con woman who steals 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."[40] 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 and was a cameo. She caught the attention of public with her dance number "Beedi", which was highly popular in India and overseas.[41] Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "... Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that."[42] 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.[43] 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."[44]
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 Chamanbahar.[45] 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 680 million at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India; it performed good enough overseas as well.[46] Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She's superb".[47] 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 and the film was a commercial success with it becoming a "Hit". She completed 2008 by appearing during the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.[48]
Her first release in 2009, Aa Dekhen Zara failed to do well at the box office.[49] Rohit Shetty's All The Best: Fun Begins performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans.[50] 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.[51] 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 equalled by Azmi only.[52]
Recent work: 2010–present
With the 2010 film Pankh, Basu returned with her alluring image as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist’s mind.[53] She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia's Lamhaa, which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir.[54] Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals due to the controversial theme.[55] During the shooting of Lamhaa, she left the sets at Anantnag and headed back to Mumbai citing she was afraid of the crowd there. Producer Bunty Walia thought of replacing her with Vidya Balan, but she returned for the shoot later with necessary security arrangements.[56][57] NDTV Movies wrote, "Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions. The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot."[58] Basu then appeared as the wife of a ruthless cop in Priyadarshan's Aakrosh who helps the police with investigation on honour killings in their village. She met with mixed reviews for the film. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India commented, "Bipasha actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal."[59]
Bipasha Basu at a promotional event for Players, 2012
Her next release was Raaz 3, a supernatural horror thriller directed by Vikram Bhatt, upon release met with favourable response and emerging as a box office success after a period of relatively low phase for Basu.
bipasha basu with co-star emran hashmi
730 million
(US$11 million) in India alone. Her performance in the film garnered
acclaim from critics with Subhash K. Jha of IANS saying, "It's Bipasha
who holds together the feverish proceedings. She delivers a full-bodied
gutsy performance."[66][67]After appearing in a guest appearance in Race 2, where she reprised her role from the prequel,[68][69] Basu was seen in the horror film Aatma which was directed by Suparn Verma and produced by Kumar Mangat and Abhishek Pathak. She received mixed reviews for the movie.[70][71] Bipasha performed live alongside Atif Aslam, Shaan & Malaika Arora Khan for the first time in series of concerts in Birmingham & London[72] in summer 2013.[73] In 2014CHF Bipasha Basu will be seen on numerous roles in different types of movies. She is currently shooting for Humshakals a movie Directed by Sajid Khan opposite to Saif Ali Khan[74] and a special 3D movie by Vikram Bhatt produced by Bhushan Kumar titled Creature 3D.[75][76] Basu has completed work on her first English film, Roland Joffé's epic drama The Lovers in which she will portray a Maratha warrior.[77][78] In 2015, Basu featured in Bhushan Patel's romance horror film, Alone opposite Karan Singh Grover.[79]India TV reviewed the movie Alone when it released and wrote that "With some genuine scary moments and Bipasha-Karan’s scorching chemistry, Alone stands apart from numerous horrible horror flicks made in the past." and also stated that "Bipasha just takes her act to another level."[80]
Basu ranked 8 in The Times of India ' 50 most desirable women in 2011, ranked 13 in 2012, and ranked 7 in 2013.[81][82] UK magazine Eastern Eye named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia" in 2005 and 2007.[83]
Sri Lankan award ceremonies
Bipasha Basu was participated to the Hiru Golden Film Awards 2014 in Sri Lanka as special guests along with other Bollywood actors such as Sunil Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, Anil Kapoor, and actress Neha Dhupia.Other ventures
Fitness DVD launch
Basu is an advocate of physical fitness. Apart from films, in 2010 she released her first fitness DVD called Love Yourself, which emphasised on being strong, healthy, and loving one's self.[84] DVD consisted 60-day routine for weight-loss. 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."[85] She had previously worked on another fitness video called Bollywood Bodies with John Abraham.[86] Basu later launched her sencond Fitness DVD in September 2011 named Break Free, a 30-minute dance routine, the follow up to Bipasha Basu's first workout video Love Yourself. She is also the face of Delhi Marathon, which has been inspired by her interest in fitness.[87][88] In January 2014 Bipasha Basu launched her much awaited third of her series fitness DVD Unleash, an advance training routine that includes plyometrics and focuses more on power and speed, while strengthening the bones and improving muscle coordination.[89][90]Personal life
Basu with her friends
Filmography
 |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ajnabee | Sonia/Neeta | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Takkari Donga | Panasa | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Raaz | Sanjana Dhanraj | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Aankhen | Raina | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai | Ria | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Chor Machaaye Shor | Ranjita | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Gunaah | Prabha Narayan | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Tujhe Meri Kasam | Herself | Hindi | Cameo |
| 2003 | Jism | Sonia Khanna | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Footpath | Sanjana Srivastav | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula | Unknown | Hindi | Cameo |
| 2003 | Zameen | Nandini | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Ishq Hai Tumse | Kushboo | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Aetbaar | Ria Malhotra | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Rudraksh | Gayetri | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Rakht | Drishti | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Madhoshi | Anupama Kaul | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Chehraa | Megha | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Sachein | Manju | Tamil | |
| 2005 | Viruddh | Unknown | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Barsaat | Anna | Hindi | |
| 2005 | No Entry | Bobby | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Apaharan | Megha | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Shikhar | Natasha | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye | Sonia Berry | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Darna Zaroori Hai | Varsha | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Phir Hera Pheri | Anuradha | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Alag | Unknown | Hindi | Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag" |
| 2006 | Corporate | Nishigandha Dasgupta | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Omkara | Billo Chamanbahar | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Jaane Hoga Kya | Aditi | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Dhoom 2 | ACP Shonali Bose/ Monali Bose |
Hindi | |
| 2007 | Nehlle Pe Dehlla | Pooja | Hindi | |
| 2007 | No Smoking | Hindi | Special appearance in song "Phoonk De" | |
| 2007 | Om Shanti Om | Herself | Hindi | Cameo |
| 2007 | Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal | Rumana | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Race | Sonia Martin | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Bachna Ae Haseeno | Radhika/Shreya Rathod | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi | Unknown | Hindi | Special appearance in song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" |
| 2009 | Aa Dekhen Zara | Simi Chatterjee | Hindi | |
| 2009 | All The Best: Fun Begins | Jhanvi Chopra | Hindi | |
| 2009 | Shob Charitro Kalponik | Radhika | Bengali | |
| 2010 | Pankh | Nandini (Alter-Ego) | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Lamhaa | Aziza | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Aakrosh | Geeta | Hindi | |
| 2011 | Dum Maro Dum | Zoey | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Players | Riya | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Jodi Breakers | Sonali | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Raaz 3 | Shanaya Shekhar | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Race 2 | Sonia Martin | Hindi | Cameo |
| 2013 | Aatma | Maya | Hindi | |
| 2014 | Humshakals | Mishti | Hindi | |
| 2014 | Creature 3D | Ahana | Hindi | |
| 2015 | Alone | Sanjana/Anjana/Ghost | Hindi | |
| 2015 | The Lovers |
Tulaja Naik | English | Post-production[98] |
