Bipasha Basu

Infobox actor
name = Bipasha Basu
birthdate = birth date and age|1979|1|7
birthplace = Delhi, India


caption = Bipasha Basu at the launch of Flyte Scooter and Calendar (2007).
yearsactive = 2001 – present
domesticpartner = John Abraham (2002 – present)
occupation = Film actress, model
website = http://bipashabasunet.com
awards = Best Female Debut
2002: "Ajnabee"

Bipasha Basu (Bengali: বিপাশা বসু , Hindi: बिपाषा बासु) (born January 7 1979) is an Indian Bollywood actress and model. She was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest for 1996 and is currently one of the mainstream actresses in Bollywood. She is often cited by popular magazines and newspapers as one of Asia's sexiest celebrity women.cite web|author=Press Trust of India (PTI)|publisher=Indiatimes|title=Bipasha is the Sexiest Asian Woman in the World: Eastern Eye|date=2007-11-16|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Bipasha_is_the_Sexiest_Asian_Woman_in_the_World_Eastern_Eye/articleshow/2544772.cms|accessdate=November 19|accessyear=2007]

Early life

Basu was born in New Delhi, India, into a Bengali family. She is the second of three daughters to her parents, the elder being Bidisha, and the younger—Vijayeta. Although she was born in New Delhi, her family later moved to Kolkata.

According to her, she had come into modelling and acting quite by accident, because initially she had planned to study medicine.cite web|author=Verma, Sukanya|title='Once you enter films, your private life becomes a joke'|url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/1999/sep/23bipa.htm|date=September 23, 1999|publisher=Rediff.com|accessdate=2007-12-29] Basu studied science till the 12th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir and later took up commerce at The Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society College, an undergraduate college affiliated with the University of Calcutta. In Kolkata, she did modelling and rampshows partime. Although, as pointed above, she intended to become a doctor, her aversion for dissections made her opt for chartered accountancy.cite web|author=Verma, Sukanya; Bhattacharya, Priyanka|title=Desperately seeking Bipasha|url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/may/17bip.htm|date=May 17, 2002|publisher=Rediff.com|accessdate=2007-12-29] However, in 1996, she met well-known model Mehr Jessia in Kolkata; the latter suggested that Basu take part in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest. She eventually participated, and won the contest.

Career

After winning the Ford Godrej Cinthol contest, Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company, where she had a successful modelling career at the age of 17.

Basu made her film debut in Abbas Mustan's "Ajnabee", with Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Kareena Kapoor. She played a married woman who goes all out to woo her husband’s married friend, and eventually won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her performance.

In 2002, Basu starred in Vikram Bhatt's thriller "Raaz". The film was a big commercial success and surfaced as the biggest hit of that year. [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=208&catName=MjAwMg=|title=Box Office 2002|publisher=BoxOfficeIndia.Com|accessdate=2008-04-19] For her performance in the film, she received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare. One review in "The Tribune" noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance." [cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020203/cth2.htm#11|title=A fast-paced psycho-thriller|author=D.P.|publisher="The Tribune"|date=February 3, 2002|accessdate=2008-06-05]

Besides acting, "Bips", as she is fondly called, did the famous video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, Kismat back in her early days before she became an actress. She also made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video Stolen. [cite web|title=Powerlist: Top Bollywood Actresses (2006)|work=Rediff Top Bollywood Actresses of 2006 |url=http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/25sd5.htm|accessmonthday=25 August |accessyear=2006]

In 2006, she won popular acclaim for her performance in an Item number during the song "Beedi" in the film "Omkara". The song was a national hit, and Basu's pictuarisation was appreciated. [cite web|url=http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/20sl1.htm|title=Nach Bipasha, nach!|piblisher=Rediff.com|accessdate=2008-07-17]

In 2008 Basu starred in "Race", her second collaboration with duo Abbas Mustan, with whom she debuted in Bollywood. Co-starring Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, the film performed well at the box office, and Basu's performance was appreciated by critics. Taran Adarsh of indiaFM described her performance as "her best work so far. She’s superb". [cite web|url=http://www.indiafm.com/movies/review/13399/index.html|title=Movie review - Race|author=Adarsh, Taran|publisher=indiafm.com|accessdate=2008-06-05|date=March 21, 2008] She also received rave reviews for her recent role in Bachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

Personal life

Basu is currently dating actor John Abraham, They have been dating since late 2002. She previously dated fellow Bollywood actors Milind Soman and Dino Morea.

In 2006, Basu claimed to have been harassed by organizers of the India Day Parade in Edison, New Jersey. Basu was initially scheduled to lead the parade on August 13, 2006. Basu eventually appeared on stage late, according to her, because of the harassment. She said, "I wanted to attend the parade, but I could not." She explained that she was harassed physically and mentally in the car by two people who were taking her to the parade. [cite web|url=http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/aug/14bipasha.htm|title=I was harassed in US, says Bipasha Basu ]

In November 2007, UK magazine "Eastern Eye" named Basu the "Sexiest Woman in Asia".

Philanthropy

On January 10, 2007, Basu danced with sex workers at a charity drive in order to raise AIDS awareness in India and promote safe-sex. [cite web|url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/070110/210/6b0nx.html|title=Richard Gere to India sex workers: Reject customers who refuse condoms|date=January 11, 2007|publisher=Yahoo Web Services India Pvt Ltd|accessdate=2007-12-29]

Filmography

Awards and honours

-! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Filmfare Awards
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ee also

* List of Indian film actresses

References

External links

*
*fashionmodel|id=Bipasha_Basu|name=Bipasha Basu

Persondata
NAME=Basu, Bipasha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Film actress, model
DATE OF BIRTH=January 7, 1979
PLACE OF BIRTH=Delhi, India
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=