Bipasha Basu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Bipasha Basu

• She lived in Delhi until the age of 8, and then her family moved to Kolkata.

  

• While Bipasha Basu was in school, she was the head girl as she was good at studies and sports.

• She dreamt of becoming a doctor in school so she took science in class 11 and class 12. However, while doing a dissection of rats in the school practicals, she used to faint. So, in graduation, she decided to change her subject to commerce. She then decided to complete her MBA and prepare for chartered accountant exams.

• In 1996, while she was in a hotel in Kolkata, the Indian model Mehr Jesia Rampal spotted her and advised her to try modelling. Mehr also suggested her to participate in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest (organised by Ford) in Mumbai. Bipasha agreed to it and won the title.

  

• In an interview, she shared that after winning the contest no media house talked about her talent and all they were talking about was that a dark-skinned girl from Kolkata became the winner. ^[22]Amar Ujala

• After winning the contest, she even received offers of skin care advertisements, but she rejected them all.

• She then participated in the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest in Miami and worked with the Ford modelling agency in New York for a few months. She has walked the ramp in various national and international fashion shows.

  

• Bipasha then received an offer of the Hindi film ‘Himalayaputra’ opposite Akshaye Khanna, but she denied it. ^[23]Rediff

• She was then approached for the Hindi film Aakhri Mughal’ opposite Abhishek Bachchan, but later, the script and cast of the film changed. The film was released with the name ‘Refugee.’ ^[24]Rediff

• During her modelling days, she appeared in various Hindi music videos like “Tu” (1988 by Sonu Nigam), “Sauda Khara” (1999 by Sukhbir), “Tera Milna Pal Do Pal Ka” (2000 by Sonu Nigam), and “Stolen” (2004 by Jay Sean).

  

• In 2003, she was featured in the Hindi music video “Hum Ko To Hai Poora Yakeen.” MSN Cricket released the video for supporting the Indian Cricket team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.

  

• She has appeared in many popular Hindi films such as ‘Raaz’ (2002), ‘Aankhen’ (2002), ‘Jism’ (2003), ‘Corporate’ (2006), ‘Race’ (2008), and ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ (2008).

• After the release of her Hindi film ‘Jism,’ the Indian actress Ameesha Patel said that she would never do so much of skin show in any film, to which Bipasha replied that she did not have the right body to do such roles. ^[25]Hindustan Times

• While working in Jism, she started dating the Indian actor John Abraham. For their on-screen and off-screen chemistry, they were considered as one of the hottest couples in Bollywood.

• Bipasha has also appeared in many TV commercials for brands like Clinic All Clear, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Pantene, La Opalla, and Reebok.

• She has sung a few Hindi songs like “Kaun Main Haan Tum” from the film ‘Ajnabee’ (2001) and “My Name Is Ali” from the film ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006).

• In Rediff’s Top 10 Top Bollywood Actresses of the Year, she has been listed in various years including 2005 (no. 6), 2006 (no. 4), 2008 (no. 1), and 2009 (no. 7).

• Bipasha, along with John Abraham, released a fitness DVD named ‘Bollywood Bodies’ in 2005.

  

• She gained immense popularity for her various Hindi item songs such as “Ishq Di Galli Vich” from the film ‘No Entry’ (2005), “Beedi” from the film ‘Omkara’ (2006), “Namak Isaq Ka” from the film ‘Omkara’ (2006), “Touch Me” from the film ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006), and “Bipasha Bipasha” from the film ‘Jodi Breakers’ (2012).

• She acted in the Tamil film ‘Sachein’ in 2005.

  

• In 2007, while she was in Lisbon, attending the event of the naming of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ at Luz Stadium, she met the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. After the event, they went to a party where they were spotted dancing closely and lip-kissing. Some British media company even released their photos in newspapers. She was dating the Indian actor John Abraham at that time.

  

• In 2009, she appeared in the Bengali film ‘Shob Charitro Kalponik’ as Radhika Mitra.

  

• In 2009, she rejected the offer of the Hollywood film ‘The Pink Panther 2’ which later went to Aishwarya Rai.

• In the same year, in Maxim’s Hot 100 list, she was ranked no. 1.

• In the Times 50 Most Desirable Women list, she was ranked 8th in 2011, 13th in 2012, and 7th in 2013.

• In 2011, she released her second fitness DVD ‘Break Free’ followed by its third version ‘Unleash’ which was released in 2014. The DVD was later released on the YouTube channel, Shemaroo Good Health 24/7.

  

• In Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list, she was ranked 25th in 2012.

• In 2013, she acted in the Belgian film ‘Singularity’ as Tulaja Naik.

  

• In an interview, she shared that in 2014, she did not attend the promotions of the Hindi film ‘Humshakals.’ She said that the behaviour of the film director Sajid Khan was not good with the female actors on the sets. ^[26]The Times of India

• She launched a shopping portal “The Label Life” along with Malaika Arora and Sussanne Khan. Bipasha handled The Trunk Label in it.

  

• In 2015, she started dating the Indian actor Karan Singh Grover. Although, it was not easy for Bipasha to convince her parents to get married to Karan as he had two failed marriages at that time. Later, her parents agreed to their marriage. Bipasha and Karan lovingly call themselves #MonkeyCouple.

• She once shared that her name meant, “deep, dark desire,” and it is also a river’s name. She further said that she used to be an angry child and her friends used to call her ‘Lady Goonda.’ ^[27]The Times of India

• She likes swimming, doing workout, doing yoga, and visiting Kolkata. She dislikes waiting on the sets of the film after putting on makeup.

  

• In an interview, she said that she had once become a sugar addict. She said that due to her eating habits, she gained a lot of body weight and to get rid of it, she started exercising without taking the help of professionals which resulted in symptoms of Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease in her knees. She then took the help of a fitness trainer and followed a workout regimen to strengthen her knee bones. ^[28]Hindustan Times

• Bipasha and her husband Karan have appeared together in various TV commercials for brands like Oppo, Spring Fit Mattress, and Playgard Condoms.

• In August 2023, Bipasha revealed that Devi was born with two holes in her heart, and Devi had to undergo open heart surgery when she was three months old. She also revealed that Karan was initially not sure about the surgery; however, she later convinced him, and eventually, the surgery was successful.

• She is not a brand person, she even picks her clothes from roadside stores.

• Reportedly, she underwent a few surgeries like botox, otoplasty, rhinoplasty, rectification of bones, and breast augmentation. ^[29]Divine Cosmetic Surgery

  

• She once shared that she was an acrophobic (fear of heights).

• She has appeared in various magazine covers like Femina, Cosmopolitan, Filmfare, Maxim, and Elle.

  

• She once shared that her mother wanted a son and named him Karan. Later, Bipasha and her younger sister got married to boys named Karan.

• She got the name ‘Sex Symbol’ by her fans for her bold looks. ^[30]The Indian Express

• She loves collecting soft toys and has even named them.

• She once became the face of the Delhi Marathon.

• She did not like consuming alcohol, however, she consumes wine occasionally. ^[31]Hindustan Times

• She is a spiritual person and has a deep faith in god.

  

• She once had a pet dog named Poshto.

  

Raaz

Namak Isaq Ka