Journalism of Courage
It is not Bipasha Basus fascination with ghosts or creatures that dictates her choice of movies. It is all about the need to stand out.
In her last release Raaz 3,where Bipasha Basu played the role of an actor 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 and she says with a chuckle,I was very scared of all these things while growing up. So maybe it is my subconscious driving me to sign these films now.
The model-turned-actress has had an interesting career graph. Right from Abbas-Mustans Ajnabee,which established her in the industry,to Jism,Raaz and Race,Basu known for her glamour quotient has essayed characters which have received applause. At this point in her career,looking glamorous isnt the criteria anymore. I am done looking beautiful. I have done that for so many years and have been successful at it. I now want to challenge myself with roles and genres which arent your usual run-of-the-mill fare, she says.
The challenging roles apart,Basu also seems to have done a reality check on the limited choices a female Bollywood actor has. 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 doesnt quite fall in the B-grade category anymore,is an added advantage. Horror as a genre is gaining prominence in Bollywood. The production qualities have improved and so have the storylines. Many directors also specialise in the genre now, adds Basu.
