Born on 7th January 1979 in New Delhi, India, Bipasha Basu is an actress and model who has predominantly appeared in Hindi films. After a successful career in modeling, Basu made her Bollywood debut as a supporting actress in Abbas Mastan's thriller Ajnabee (2001), which also got her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She then starred in a Telugu film Takari Dongra (2002), which was a hit down South.
Her claim to fame was her second film
Raaz, which was a horror movie directed by Vikram Bhatt. Bipasha Basu played the lead role in the film opposite Dino Morya. Raaz was a super hit at the box office and Basu received great reviews for it. Bipasha Basu is also very passionate about fitness and sincerely believes in living a healthy lifestyle. To promote her mantra for a happy life, she released her collection of DVDs called Love Yourself.
Early LifeBipasha Basu was born in a Hindu Bengali family in Delhi and later along with her family, moved to Kolkata. She has one elder sister, Bidisha and a younger sister, Bijoyeta. Basu as a kid was a total tomboy and was lovingly called 'Lady Gonda' by her friends. While in school, she wanted to become a medical professional but fate had other plans and she got her first modeling assignment at the young age of 16. She then won the Ford Supermodel of the World and Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest at the age of 17.
Personal LifeBipasha Basu's personal life has always been under media scrutiny, owing to her celebrity status. She started dating
Dino Morea, her co-star in Raaz, after doing a commercial for Calida which was criticized for being too sultry.
She then dated her
Jism co-star
John Abraham and both were touted as the 'perfect' couple in the tinsel villa. But after almost a decade-long affair, they broke up, and the reason is still unknown. So much so that, Basu in an interview to a popular tabloid denied knowing anybody called John Abraham. In February 2014, she confirmed being in a relationship with actor
Harman Baweja but the two later parted ways, citing compatibility problems. She finally found love in Karan Singh Grover, her co-star in the thriller movie, Alone. Both got married on 30th April'16 in a traditional Bengali wedding.
Acting Career:Veteran actor Vinod Khanna, who was one of the judges in Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Bipasha participated, wanted to launch her opposite his son,
Akshay Khanna in the movie Himalay Putra. However, Basu declined the offer as she felt she was too young for the role. Then back home in Kolkata,
Jaya Bachchan convinced her to star opposite her son,
Abhishek Bachchan who was gearing up for his first film Aakhri Mughal, directed by J.P. Dutta. But things did not go as planned, Akhri Mughal was shelved and Dutta ended up making Refugee with
Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan.
In the year 2001, she was finally launched opposite
Akshay Kumar in Abbas Mastan's Ajnabee which was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults. Her negative role in the film garnered appreciation across the fraternity. Later, in 2002, she played the lead in the year's highest grossing film, Raaz. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the movie was her stepping stone to success. After the film's release, Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said “Although this is Bipasha Basu's second film, the actress carries off a complex role with aplomb. She shows a marked growth as an actress.” Raaz got Bipasha her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role.
Post the success she got from her first two releases, her next lot of films bombed at the box office. Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Gunaah, Chor Machaye Shor and Variety didn't succeed in impressing the critics or the audience. After a series of flops at the box office, Bipasha finally made an impact with her next film Jism opposite John Abraham, which released in 2003. In the movie, she plays the role of a sexy seductress who has an extramarital affair with a lawyer and then hatches a scheme to kill her husband. Post Jism, she started dating John Abraham, and their courtship lasted for 9 years.
Her next few releases including
No Entry, Dhoom 2,
Corporate,
Phir Hera Pheri and Omkara were commercially very successful and established Basu as an A-list actress in the fraternity. For No Entry, she earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role as a bar girl in the movie received both critical and commercial appreciation. In 2007, Basu starred in Ronnie Screwala's
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal opposite John Abraham bombed at the box office both commercially and critically. Later, she appeared in blockbuster film Race, which also starred
Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna,
Katrina Kaif,
Anil Kapoor and
Sameera Reddy in pivotal roles.
Apart from doing commercial cinema, she has also starred in experimental films like Pankh and Shob Charitro Kalponik, which had her playing unglamorous roles. Both the movies failed to create any impact but Bipasha Basu received critical appreciation for her performance in Pankh. Later, in 2011, she was seen opposite Abhishek Bachchan in
Dum Maaro Dum and Players but these movies failed to propel her career.
A decade after Raaz was released, Basu turned to the horror genre once again and starred in supernatural films like
Raaz 3,
Creature and
Alone none leaving any lasting impact at the box office. Basu also hosted a successful horror mini-series, Darr Sabko Lagta Hai, which aired on TV in October'15. Amidst doing films, she also made an appearance in Jay Sean's video Stolen and Sonu Nigam's video Tu.