Bipasha Basu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bipasha Basu
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Basu in 2020
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| Born | 7 January 1979 New Delhi, India
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Karan Singh Grover
(m. 2016) |
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| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and English films. Basu is the recipient of numerous accolades, including one Filmfare Award. Particularly known for her work in the thriller and horror film genres, and for several item numbers, she is frequently cited in the media as a ... and a scream queen.
Born in Delhi and raised in Kolkata, Basu pursued a successful career as a fashion model. She then began receiving offers for film roles, and made her acting debut with the thriller Ajnabee (2001), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Basu's first leading role was in the horror film Raaz (2002), for which she earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. .....
Basu's other commercially successful films include the drama Corporate (2006), the comedies Phir Hera Pheri (2006) and All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), the thriller Race (2008), and the romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). In the 2010s, she primarily starred in the horror films Raaz 3D (2012), Aatma (2013), Creature 3D (2014) and Alone (2015). This was followed by a hiatus, during which her sole appearance was in the thriller series Dangerous (2020).
In addition to acting in films, Basu is a fitness enthusiast and has featured in several fitness videos. She has also hosted the horror series Darr Sabko Lagta Hai in 2015. Following a high-profile relationship with actor John Abraham, Basu married actor Karan Singh Grover in 2016, with whom she has one child.
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Early life and modelling career
Bipasha Basu was born on 7 January 1979 to a Bengali family in Delhi. Her father, Hirak, is a civil engineer, and her mother, Mamta, is a homemaker. She has one elder sister, Bidisha, and one younger sister, Vijayeta. According to Basu, her name means "dark deep desire", and is also a river's name.
In Delhi, Basu lived at Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place, till the age of eight and studied at Apeejay High School. Her family then shifted to Kolkata, where she attended Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir, located in Bidhannagar. In her school, Basu was appointed as the head girl and was fondly called 'Lady Goonda' due to her short and commanding personality.
In 1996, Basu was spotted at a hotel in Kolkata by the model Mehr Jesia Rampal, who suggested she take up modelling. That year, she participated in and eventually won the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest (organised by Ford), thereby representing India at Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest in Miami. She later appeared in the Calida commercial with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea, which was controversial for picturing them sultrily; she had some protesters outside her house after that. With appearance on several magazine covers, Basu continued to pursue a career in fashion modeling during her late teens, until she became an actress.
Acting career
Debut and breakthrough (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 the romance Himalay Putra (1997), 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. However, the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made the romantic drama Refugee with Kareena Kapoor. Basu was also offered a role in Refugee opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.
She finally made her acting debut in a negative role opposite Akshay Kumar in Abbas–Mustan's action thriller Ajnabee (2001) which also starred Kapoor and Bobby Deol. The film was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults (1992). Ajnabee received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with particular praise for Basu's performance, and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box-office. Her performance in the film also earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Basu achieved her breakthrough with Vikram Bhatt's supernatural horror thriller Raaz (2002), which was the first instalment of the Raaz film series. Based on the Hollywood film What Lies Beneath (2000), it also starred Dino Morea and debutante Malini Sharma. Portraying a woman in a failing marriage who discovers that her husband is part of a ghostly conspiracy haunting their new home, the film earned Basu widespread critical acclaim and established her in the Hindi film industry. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Basu who steals the show with her impactful performance." The film also emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Raaz earned Basu her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She next starred in Sanjay Gadhvi's romantic comedy Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002) alongside Uday Chopra, Jimmy Sheirgill and debutante Tulip Joshi. It opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for Basu's performance, and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box-office. Her next film that year, David Dhawan's action comedy Chor Machaaye Shor alongside Deol, emerged as her first critical and commercial failure. The same year, she also made her Telugu film debut with a supporting role in the revisionist western film Takkari Donga opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray. Her next film, the thriller Gunaah, again opposite Morea, also emerged as a critical and commercial failure. Her portrayal of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him earned her scathing reviews from critics, with Derek Elley of Variety stating that Basu was a miscast as the "idealistic cop".
Commercial setbacks (2003–05)
..... She and Abraham began a 9-year relationship while shooting for the film. ..... The film emerged as a sleeper hit at the box-office, with several trade analysts attributing its commercial success to Basu's popularity. ..... Basu's performance in the film earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Villain. However her next release, Rohit Shetty's directorial debut Zameen alongside Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan, emerged as a critical and commercial failure.
Basu had five releases in 2004, all of which received scathing critical reviews and emerged as commercial disasters at the box-office. She began the year with the musical romance Ishq Hai Tumse in her third collaboration with Morea. She then collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her next release, the psychological romantic thriller 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." Her next film was Mani Shankar's fantasy science fiction film Rudraksh, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. She then starred in the supernatural horror film Rakht as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of PlanetBollywood wrote, "Basu impresses in a different look and role." Her final release that year was Anil Sharma's psychological thriller Madhoshi opposite Abraham. Her performance of a mentally unstable woman was generally well received.
In 2005, she appeared in the thriller Chehraa alongside Morea, a critical and commercial failure, which was followed by the musical love triangle Barsaat alongside Deol and Priyanka Chopra, which also received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh commented, "As an actor, she [Basu] does show sparks only towards the end." It also emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. She next starred in the Tamil romantic comedy Sachein, alongside Vijay and Genelia D'Souza, which emerged as a hit at the box-office. She then appeared in Prakash Jha's crime action film Apaharan, alongside Devgn and Nana Patekar, which emerged as a critical and commercial success. During this period, she refused to act in art films due to salary problems.
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".
Success and stardom (2005–09)
Basu established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema in 2005 and 2006 with the subsequent success of the comedy No Entry, the drama Corporate and the action thriller Dhoom 2. No Entry grossed ₹750 million (US$13 million) at the box-office, ranking as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Basu portrayed a bargirl who acts as wife of two men, which received positive reviews, and earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. 2006 saw her star in four major releases — the comedy Phir Hera Pheri, Corporate, the crime drama Omkara, and Dhoom 2 — all performing well critically and commercially. Phir Hera Pheri saw her star alongside Akshay Kumar to portray a con woman who steals ₹10 million from the protagonists. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews and emerged as a commercial success, ranking as the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. ..... Her performance in the film earned her critical acclaim, and her second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. However, it emerged as an average grosser at the box-office.
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In Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Othello, Omkara, Basu played the role of Billo Chamanbahar (Bianca), alongside an ensemble cast of Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Vivek Oberoi. She caught the attention of public with her dance number "Beedi", which was highly popular in India and overseas. Moreover, her performance also earned her positive reviews, with critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN writing, "...Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she highly succeeds in doing that." She followed it up with Dhoom 2 where she again starred alongside an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan, Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Uday Chopra. She played the dual role of a cop and an NRI. She also became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in the film for which she reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene. The film, and Basu's performance, received positive reviews from critics upon release, with Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commenting, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and acts well, thus doing more than just slipping into the shadows like a pretty accessory." Dhoom 2 emerged as a major blockbuster at the box-office, grossing ₹1,513.89 million (US$26 million) worldwide, ranking as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year and the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time at the time. It currently ranks as the highest grosser of Basu's career.
In 2007, her only appearance was in Vivek Agnihotri's sports drama Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. The film saw her star opposite frequent co-star John Abraham as the physiotherapist of a football team. Despite hype prior to release, it opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. Her dance number "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.
In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas–Mustan for the crime thriller 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 ends up murdering one of them. The film emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹680 million (US$12 million) worldwide, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Her performance, like the film, was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She's superb!" Basu next starred alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release, with widespread praise for Basu's performance. It emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Her performance in the film nearned her a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She completed 2008 with a special appearance in the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra's romantic comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
Her first release in 2009, the science fiction thriller Aa Dekhen Zara opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh, received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. However, her next film, Rohit Shetty's comedy All The Best: Fun Begins performed moderately well with her comic role being appreciated by fans. Later that year, Basu took up an unglamorous and challenging role in 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. The film, and her performance, received high praise from critics upon release. Critic Subhash K. Jha spoke high of her, and said, "Basu pulls out all stops to deliver her career 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 Basu." 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.
Later career (2010–present)
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With Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's Pankh, Basu returned as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist's mind. She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl alongside Sanjay Dutt, Anupam Kher and Kunal Kapoor in Rahul Dholakia's drama thriller Lamhaa, which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir. Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals due to the controversial theme. 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. Lamhaa opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, but Basu's performance received praise. NDTV Movies wrote, "Basu 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 Basu to shoot." Basu's next appearance that year was in Priyadarshan's action thriller Aakrosh as the wife of a ruthless cop who helps the police with investigation on honor killings in their village. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Basu actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal". Both Lamhaa and Aakrosh emerged as commercial failures at the box-office.
Basu's only release in 2011 was the action thriller Dum Maaro Dum, alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Rana Daggubati, which performed reasonably well at the box office and met with mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is Dum Maaro Dum, in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it."
In 2012, Basu collaborated with Abbas–Mustan for the third time in the heist action thriller Players, which became the first Hindi film release of 2012. The film was an official remake of The Italian Job. Majorly hyped prior to release, Players emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office, and was negatively compared to the The Italian Job, highly criticised for its execution and performances, including that of Basu. Her next release was the supernatural horror thriller Raaz 3: The Third Dimension directed by Vikram Bhatt. Co-starring Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta, the film emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹730 million (US$12 million) worldwide. It emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi horror film of all time, in addition to becoming Basu's first commercial success after a period of relatively low phase. The film opened to mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, with high ipraise for Basu's performance, with Subhash K. Jha of IANS saying, "It's Basu who holds together the feverish proceedings. She delivers a full-bodied gutsy performance."
After appearing in a guest appearance in Race 2 (2013), where she reprised her role from the prequel, Basu was starred alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the horror film Aatma directed by Suparn Verma. The film, and Basu's performance, received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and it emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office. Basu next performed live alongside Atif Aslam, Shaan and Malaika Arora for the first time in series of concerts in Birmingham and London in summer 2013.
In 2014, Basu appeared in two films opposite diametrically opposite genres – the first film was Sajid Khan's comedy Humshakals opposite Saif Ali Khan. The film emerged as a critical and commercial disaster, and is considered one of the worst Bollywood films ever made. Basu even didn't participate in the film's promotions because she was "extremely disturbed by the end result" and stated, "Humshakals was the worst experience of my life". Her second film was Vikram Bhatt's monster horror film Creature 3D alongside debutant Imran Abbas. The film also emerged as a critical and commercial failure. The same year, Basu finished shooting for her first English film project, Roland Joffé's Belgian romance time travel adventure The Lovers in which she portrayed a Maratha warrior. The film, and Basu's performance, received mixed reviews from critics upon release.
In 2015, Basu featured in Bhushan Patel's romance horror film Alone opposite her future husband Karan Singh Grover. The film performed moderately well at the box-office, and received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for Basu's dual role. India TV reviewed the film and wrote that, "With some genuine scary moments and Basu-Grover's scorching chemistry, Alone stands apart from numerous horrible horror flicks made in the past." and also stated that, "Basu just takes her act to another level." The same year, she also made her TV debut by hosting &TV's anthology horror fiction series Darr Sabko Lagta Hai.
Her next role was a cameo appearance as herself in the comedy Welcome to New York (2018).
In 2020, she made her OTT debut with MX Player's crime thriller series Dangerous opposite her husband Grover. It received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release.
In the media
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..... In the Times 50 Most Desirable Women list, she ranked 8th in 2011, ranked 13th in 2012 and ranked 7th in 2013. ..... In 2009, she topped the Maxim's "Hot 100" list. Basu was placed 6th in Rediff.com's "Top Bollywood Actresses" list of 2006. She appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2012, where she was placed 25th with an estimated annual income of ₹268.5 million (US$4.6 million). Basu is a celebrity endorser for brands such as Dabur, Pantene, Emami and Alkermes. She is known by a variety of nicknames in the media which play on her name including Bonnie, Bips, Bip, B, BB, and Bona.
Other ventures
Fitness DVD launch
Aside from films, Basu is an advocate of physical fitness. In 2005 she released her first fitness DVD jointly with John Abraham, titled Bollywood Bodies. In 2010 she released her first solo fitness DVD called Love Yourself: Fit & Fabulous You, which emphasised on being strong, healthy, and loving one's self. The DVD consisted of a 60-day routine for weight-loss, including a beginner's workout, an advanced workout and an "easy tone" workout. 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 Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness." Basu later launched her second fitness DVD in September 2011 named Break Free, a 30-minute dance routine, and the follow-up to Basu's first workout video, continuing the Love Yourself series. In January 2014, Basu launched her much awaited third instalment of her Love Yourself DVD fitness series, Unleash, an advanced training routine that includes plyometrics and focuses more on power and speed, while strengthening the bones and improving muscle coordination. Later in 2014, many of her fitness workout videos were released for free on distributor Shemaroo Entertainment's health-focussed YouTube channel, Shemaroo Good Health 24/7.
She is also the face of Delhi Marathon, which has been inspired by her interest in fitness.
Lifestyle brand
In 2015, Basu, Malaika Arora and Sussanne Khan launched their own shopping portal "The Label Life". Basu had the section of Make-up, statement jewels, shoes and bags - The Trunk Label with her.
Personal life
Basu was in a relationship with actor Dino Morea from 1996 to 2002. during the filming of Jism in 2002, Basu began to dating her co-star John Abraham, with whom she had a very high-profile relationship from 2002 to 2011. She briefly dated Harman Baweja, but they broke up in 2014.
Basu met co-star Karan Singh Grover on the sets of Alone in 2014 and they fell in love. The couple got married on 30 April 2016. In August 2022, the couple announced that they are expecting their first child. Their daughter, Devi Basu Singh Grover, was born on 12 November 2022.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
See also
In Spanish: Bipasha Basu para niños
