Agent of Thrill

In her last release Raaz 3,where Bipasha Basu played the role of an actress who is on her way down from stardom,she went about taking advice from ghosts on how to pull down her rival. In the climax,she was possessed by a spirit and beat up everyone in sight,including the lead actor Emraan Hashmi. In her upcoming release Aatma,Basu is seen fighting the spirit of her late husband,played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Ask Basu about her fascination for ghosts,she chuckles. “I was scared of all these things while growing up. So maybe it is my subconscious driving me to sign these films now,” she says.

Her tryst with the unnatural isn’t done yet. In the coming two months,Vikram Bhatt’s Creature will have her fight creatures ,like those from Anaconda and Jurassic Park. Her friend and colleague Bhatt who directed her in Raaz 3,soon after the release,came to her with another horror-oriented script. “I was shooting for Aatma at that time,and I did not want to be branded as someone who did just horror films.” Bhatt brought her a script based on creatures. “He asked me if I wanted to be a part of India’s first creature film. When someone put it that way,how could I say no,” she says. From Abbas-Mustan’s Ajnabee which established her in the industry to Jism,Raaz and Race,Basu,known for her glamour quotient,has essayed characters which have received acclaim.

At this point in her career,looking glamorous isn’t a criteria anymore. “I am done looking beautiful. I have done that for many years and have been successful at it. Now,I want to challenge myself with roles and genres which aren’t the usual run-of-the-mill fare.” The challenging roles apart,Basu also seems to have done a reality check on the limited choices Bollywood actors have. “Honestly,how many movies are written for women in Bollywood? Barring Vidya Balan who has reached a stage where movies are written for her,most of my contemporaries are happy doing candyfloss romances. Instead of doing that,I feel it is better to be a part of a genre that stands out,” she says. The fact that horror as a genre doesn’t quite fall in the B-grade category anymore is an added advantage. “Horror is gaining prominence in Bollywood,production quality has improved and so have the storylines. Many directors also specialise in the genre now.”