For Bipasha Basu, this could be the perfect instance of life coming full circle. The former model, who started her film career 10 years ago with Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee, will now be seen in the director duo's upcoming film Players.
The actress talks about her career, the rumours surrounding her and explains why she is paranoid about kissing on screen.
A decade ago, you made your debut with Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee. Now, Players is your third film with them. Have they been instrumental in shaping your career?
I wouldn't have been an actress if it wasn't for Abbas-Mustan. They respected me and gave me good treatment in my debut film Ajnabee.
We have a sense of understanding and over the years, we have developed a lot of trust. I am sure that whenever they cast me they are going to give me a character which is memorable. They always know how to get the best out of me.
You have redefined glamour with your new bikini look in the film. Filmmakers are still exploring the glamorous side of Bipasha Basu.
I like to be in sync with my characters. I can do films like Aakrosh and Lamhaa as convincingly as I did the bikini scene in Players.
I am flexible and don't shy away from anything.
A film like Players can have a bikini scene because it is a very swift thriller, somewhat on the lines of James Bond films. I think wearing a bikini just for the sake of wearing it is a waste.
In my earlier film Dum Maaro Dum, director Rohan Sippy asked me to wear a bikini. I declined because I didn't think it was in sync with my character.
Why did you agree to wear a bikini for Abbas-Mustan?
We are talking about sexy films and I think Abbas-Mustan make sexy films which are way ahead of their time. They are very bold and they have a sense of style and fashion. They shoot it very stylishly so it never looks vulgar.
There is a fine line between looking vulgar and looking sexy and when you are with Abbas-Mustan, you are surely going to be in safe hands.
It is said that you had to really go through the grind to get the look right.
When you are wearing a bikini, it is going to be on celluloid for the rest of your life and you don't want to embarrass yourself.
I am shooting for my second fitness DVD in April and I will soon be coming out with my third DVD, which is going to be about beach body workout. My trainer and I have made a scientific routine of six weeks to acquire a beach body.
We did six weeks of training with proper diet, and let me tell you, I hate dieting. I can hit the gym at any time but I cannot diet.
You are doing Raaz 3 with Emraan Hashmi who is known to be a serial kisser!
Why do you want to scare me (Smiles)? I am going to start shooting for the film from January and it's like a bomb on my head which will explode at any time.
Raaz 3 is going to be one of my most challenging roles.
You had refused to work with Emraan Hashmi earlier because you had problems with his appearance.
I did not refuse to work with Emraan. It's just that I couldn't work with him. He was really young and I have seen him when he was 18 years old as an assistant director on Raaz.
When we were approached for a film, I looked way older than him because of my weight. Today I look younger than I looked then. I also have to be convinced that I should look good with whoever I pair up with on-screen.