~: JoHn AbRaHaMs BiPaShA bAsU fAn ClUb:~ - Page 5

A no-maintenance girl by her own definition, actor Bipasha Basu talks to Priya Pathiyan about life and love in the midst of the media circus.

Doe-eyed, dark haired and dusky. Sitting in her allbeige drawing room, she is the picture-perfect average Indian beauty. And yet Bipasha Basu has been considered extremely quirky. "Yes, I may be different from your usual gori, light-eyed quintessential Bollywood heroine, but I look Indian, have Indian features, and the colour a majority of Indians have... So why was I considered unconventional ?" wonders the actor whose debut in 2001 was in a negative role in the wife-swapping plot of Ajnabee, followed by super-hit Raaz, at a time when none of the A-list stars would touch a 'Bgrade' genre like horror.

Luckily, she has outgrown the unconventional tag. It took 28 films (counting Omkara and Dhoom 2) and five years, but today, she's accepted as part of the top-line set of actresses who win the highest accolades and can quote the highest rates per film.

Bold though her career decisions may be, this Delhi-born, Kolkatabred girl is self-confessedly shy. "I wish God had made me a little bolder. I can't be totally outspoken. For instance, I find it difficult to go up to people from the work sphere and tell them how much I love their work," she admits. There go all our illusions of Ms Bold & Beautiful! How does a shy gal handle the hot seat of her sex symbol status? She explains: "Being a sex symbol doesn't stop you from being a principled person, who conducts herself with honesty and respect. I've never got anything cheesy from anyone," she answers. And although people, who live near her eleventh-floor apartment in a leafy Khar bylane in Mumbai or have seen her doing coffee with boyfriend John Abraham at the local coffee shops, are quite used to this star's casual comfort with her celebrity status, Bipasha does admit that the scene is quite different when she visits smaller towns. "Whether you're clad in a sari 24/7 or wearing a bikini, it doesn't matter. You're a woman and you'll get pawed at if you're walking around alone. A woman is a woman at the end of the day." Bipasha, who experienced another aspect of this soon after she entered the film industry, narrates: "I was shocked during my first few days on the sets of Ajnabee , when I was walking around with a glass of peach iced tea, and my hairstylist came running to ask me what I was drinking because people were talking derogatively about me drinking alcohol! And I don't even smoke or drink!" With all these apparent hurdles, it's a wonder she stuck to her guns. "Initially, I did wonder whether I'd be happy in this industry where there were so many rules. But then I told myself I wasn't doing anything wrong so I decided not to bother. Besides, despite being one of the most reputed and highest paid models in the country, I had got very bored... I was ready to do something different – I had done two music videos for Sonu Nigam, had even thought of going back to studies or starting a restaurant –and films were a great opportunity. And by the time I did Raaz, which had a much more progressive set, I decided I loved this profession and was going to be in it for a while."

Filmdom has brought her fame and fortune galore. But although she may now splurge on several luxury apartments and a white Porsche Cayenne SUV, she avers that she's not into material things at all. Rather, she's passionate about people and everything about them. Sitting in her spacious home, she reminisces about the happy, carefree days when she shared paying guest digs with model Dipannita. "I'm a no-maintenance girl. All I want is a bed, a TV, a cupboard and a good bathroom. If I could, I'd just go back to living as a PG!" she says. Quiz her about her pricey Porsche and she admits that she only bought it so that her driver Deepak would be able to park easily.

"I'm not crazy about cars and I don't like to spend foolishly. I was still happily using the Honda City from my modelling days. Because it's a little old, no one would believe it was my car and my poor driver had to suffer. On a trip to Dubai, I saw this SUV, liked the way it looked and bought it. Imagine! I bought a Porsche for quick parking! Deepak is really happy," she laughs. And her fondness for people is further evidenced by the way her lotus eyes soften when she talks of family: dear dad who lives in Kolkata, Ms-Fix-It mum who's moved to Mumbai with younger sister Vijeyta and the eldest, Bidisha, who lives with her husband and son in Bangalore . They light up when she mentions the friends who have stood by her through thick and thin: Suzanne who's into production, Vishal who works in broadcasting, actor Dino Morea (her ex and still a dear friend) and designer Rocky S who is her dancing buddy and has been protective of her since her early modelling days... They speak volumes as she talks about social causes that are important to her. And show a spark of naughtiness when you ask her whether she's jealous of boyfriend John's bike.