When Bipasha Basu said being a ‘sex symbol’ was scary, uncomfortable: ‘You’re not an actress…’

“I have to look good constantly, sometimes it’s scary. Initially, it was a bit uncomfortable, because in India, when you are said you’re that (a sex symbol), then there is nothing beyond it. You’re just a sex symbol. You’re not an actress, that’s the way people talk about it. I am doing different kind of roles every time, but what people see is ‘sexy Bipasha Basu.’ I don’t understand. (But) Now I have accepted it as a very big compliment. I always say I would like to be sexy even if am 180, till the time I live,” the actor had said.

Bipasha also compared how the term sexy is treated differently in Bollywood versus how it is used in Hollywood, adding, “People have to grow beyond that thought, being sexy is taboo. In Hollywood, all famous actors are termed sexy and it is not a bad thing, but in India, if you’re called sexy then they think ‘oh my god, something is wrong with her.'”

The actor also mentioned about the times she had been misbehaved with in a public gathering, and explained the reason behind it to the hostess: “An incident had happened with me in Jaipur, and then recently when I had gone to a restaurant, a guy tried to misbehave with me. People like to touch and see if we (stars) are real. It could have happened to a Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai, it is not just me.”

Bipasha Basu made her film debut in 2001 with the thriller Ajnabee. She is known for her work in films like Jism, No Entry, Raaz and Dhoom 2 among more. Bipasha was last seen in the 2020 series Dangerous.