Bipasha Basu

Date of Birth
7 January 1979, Delhi, India

Nickname
Bonny
Bips

Height
5' 8½" (1.74 m)

Mini Biography
Fate intervened when Bipasha recoiled and passed out when dissecting a rat. Thus ended her dream of being a medical professional. She was enrolled in the Science faculty until 12th standard, but switched to Commerce thereafter. After acquiring a degree in Commerce she planned to be a Chartered Accountant but ended up being the Ford Supermodel of the World when she was just 17 years old.

Bipasha was born on January 7th 1979 in New Delhi. subsequently the Basu family re-located to Calcutta. Bipasha is the second of three sisters, born and brought up in a Hindu Bengali family, she is fluent in Hindi, English, and Bengali. The names of her sisters are Bidisha and Bijoyeta. Unbelievable as it may sound, sexy Bipasha was considered 'ugly' in her younger years due to her dark complexion. Her name means 'Dark Deep Desire', and is also the name of a river.

After her triumph as the Ford Supermodel, she went on to be crowned Miss Vivacious sponsored by Tulips.

Bipasha made her foray into Bollywood with 'Ajnabee' in 2001, and subsequently acquired a place for herself in the tinsel world. She went to star in 'Raaz', 'Jism', 'No Entry', 'Phir Herapheri', 'Corporate' &'Dhoom 2'. All of these movies did fairly well at the box office, and escalated her position as not only a leading lady, but one who can dare to bare. 'Dhoom 2' also credits her as a playback singer.
She has also appeared in two music videos, and was one of the judges in the 2004 Femina Miss India beauty pageant

Trivia
Actually wanted to be a doctor

Bipasha means deep dark desire.

Was one of the judges for the 2004 'Femina Miss India' pageant.

Once said that she wished she were a boy, then she would get those roles which bypass her due to her image.

Listed as number 7 of 'Top Bollywood Actresses' of 2006. (rediff.com, 8-25-2006)

Listed #2 by UK magazine Eastern Eye one of "Asia's Sexiest Women" (Sept/2006).


Personal Quotes
"Sexy in India, is not considered positive. But, with today's crop of fresh faces, in the modeling arena, being sexy is an asset."

"I think my first film will create an image, which I will immediately try to break away from. I have a sexy, glamour doll image which I want to get out of. But if nothing else works out, I shall cash in on it. I don't have any dream role in mind, I want to try out everything."

"I actually wanted to be a doctor. But doing all those horrid rat dissections made me faint. I studied science till the 12th standard and later took up commerce. I was planning to do chartered accountancy, but fate had something else in store for me."

"I am the boss in my life. I decide when to charge more and when not to. I live in my own zone. I don't hurt anyone and I am very transparent. I don't keep people hanging in life." (2005)

"I am doing pretty well for myself, and I am proud to be the person I am. If people write that I am a mean person when it comes to money, then let them write it!" (2005)

"Somebody cheated me when I was a young model. I had a bad experience, and was running from court to court. So I understand what a contract is. I sit with my lawyer and chartered accountant before signing a contract. I learned very early in life how one gets cheated. So I am very careful now when it comes to money issues." (2005)

"If a girl wears a shirt and a skirt, does she become more sensuous? I think a girl in a sari is more sensuous than a girl in a skirt. In my opinion, a wet sari is the most sensuous." (2005)

"Every other girl is taking off her clothes just for the heck of it and I don't want to be in that category. I can never be cheap or vulgar."

Corporate (2006) has been a great experience. Madhur is a very good director and technician. I'm happy that a director like him who has worked with Konkana and Tabu has cast me. Although it's a serious film, we shot it like a fun film. I portray today's women in the film. My character Nishigandha Dasgupta is tough, but at home she's simple and vulnerable. The balance is the essence of the woman, which I think has come out beautifully in the film. I hope every career-oriented woman will relate to her." (Stardust magazine, July 2006)

"See, some time back I did films such as Madhoshi (2004) and Chehraa (2005), both solo-heroine projects, but unfortunately it didn't work at the box-office. And the reason I feel is that the makers didn't have enough money to promote the film and all my hard work was wasted. I realized then that it's better to work with established makers who have the capacity to take the film right through till the end and who know their job." (Stardust magazine, July 2006)

"I already have a dream man (John) but if I had to make a choice, I wouldn't mind someone like Brad Pitt! I would like him to have qualities like my father, very chilled-out, because I'm over sensitive and hyper and I want someone who is very calm with a great sense of humor. Someone who has energy like me, who can work the whole day and party right through the night and have a blast without a bother, someone who is very secure and confident of his woman." (Movie Mag, May 2006)

"An unforgettable experience happened on December 15, 1996 when I won the Supermodel contest while still in school. I was just seventeen years old then. Winning that competition was the turning point of my life. That's how I got into modeling and later started acting." (Movie Mag, May 2006)

"For me chilling out is when I can stay at home, order food from outside and watch a film with my friends. Listening to music and watching films are my idea of perfect relaxation." (Movie Mag, May 2006)

When asked if she has become an expert in the comedy genre: "I can't say that I've become an expert in comedy, but yes my confidence level is certainly high post the success of the film [No Entery (2005)]. I've learned how to improvise in the genre. And by the time I do my third or fourth comedy film, my ability to improvise would definitely be much more. Then maybe you could say that I'm an expert." (Stardust magazine, July 2006)

"I have always believed that if you need to take your clothes off to get your man, you've begun to lose the battle. If you pull it off right, you can do it in a very classy way...Being sexy is about suggestion; it's about the tease. It's not about being obvious and forcing yourself out in the open. That takes all the fun out of being a woman." (March 2007)