Bipasha Basu seems to be bored with glamour and fluff as she is suddenly signing on serious roles and choosing a simple, plain and ordinary on-screen wardrobe. When asked what is with this new image makeover, she laughs and says, “I have been stamped as this glamorous person. I have been doing movies for 10 years but then this industry is very short sighted. Once you look a part you are not allowed to change. But in the long run you want your artistic instincts to come to the fore. I am comfortable playing a glamorous girl in Race and equally excited advocating social issues without wearing any make up at all.”
In Priyadarshan’s Akrosh Bipasha will be seen sans make-up and in cotton sarees. “I have not even used kohl in my eyes. I play a school teacher in a dusty, small town of North India engulfed by the caste system. She is not allowed to marry the person she wants to, so leads a resigned life. It is the story of a small town where three students disappear. Two CBI officers played by Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna start investigating the case and I help them unravel the mystery,” she explains.
But isn’t the movie more about Ajay and Akshaye? There is even a shirtless fight sequence between them. “I definitely have scope in the film. I don’t play the quintessential Bollywood heroine in the movie,” she says defensively. “I am glad directors are now making films like Akrosh. They are no longer making the typical movies where the hero and heroine run and dance around trees. I am happy with the kind of roles that I am being offered today. The fact that I can look the part and behave the part is more exciting than being a glamorous heroine running round trees,” she says.
This doesn’t mean bye, bye glamour forever. “I am a switch on and switch off actress. After the director says cut, I am myself. I am a fun person who is always laughing and joking. I am not a method actress. At the same time I follow my director’s instructions completely,” she says. Bips describes herself as a very aware person who doesn’t like to waste her producer’s money. “For me the first two takes are the best takes. That’s why I love directors who do not ask me to give retakes,” she reveals.
Bips feels it’s good to experiment with all kinds of roles because, “When you are just known for your looks and body, people don’t know the real you. I want to be known for more than just my body. There’s more to life than just looking good.” While she may still need to convince producers and directors that she can do any role, she is thrilled that boyfriend John Abraham has proven he is more than just a hunk. “Today John has reached the stage in life which Ash has reached. I am so happy that people are appreciating him for his work and not just his looks. I am glad people are thinking of John beyond his butt. I am enjoying this phase with him now.”
Apart from work and John, Bipasha is excited about her fitness DVD which she launched recently. She is now planning her second DVD. “I am doing the writing and creative work on this mini project. Last year I went nuts releasing the DVD but this year it will be more fun. I am already on a high with so many brands coming to me. Fitness has become a way of life for me. Now I want to get into clothing, food and also take this fitness thing forward,” says Biapasha.
Talking of fitness, does she watch the show Khatron Ke Khiladi to check out ex boyfriend and good friend Dino Morea test his fitness levels by doing dare-devil stunts? “I am watching every episode and am cheering Dino and Ritwick Bhattacharya too. I want either Dino or Ritwick to win,” she says.
How does she manage to be good friends with an ex? “I think time heals everything. Dino is a lovely guy and I am a simple girl. Also I don’t think anybody can hate me.” Doesn’t John mind her being friends with Dino? “When you love a person, you don’t have to worry about anything else in the world. Trust follows love and my relationship with John has gone beyond that. We don’t fear anything now,” she says.