Bipasha Basu Tells Why She Was Tempted Back To Work By Vikram Bhatt

You have been missing from the screen for a while.Is it because you had more interesting things to do?

Yes , I’ve been missing   from screen. Post my marriage I wanted  to take  some  time  off. But I  wasn’t quantifying my time . So I had no idea how much time I  was taking off. I was  happy building  my  relationship with my partner (Karan Singh Grover). I spent a  lot of time with him and my   parents and sisters . That’s something  I hadn’t done  for a long time.

You  started your career early?

You  know, I left home  to work from  the  time I  was  16. I didn’t even realize  I had taken  such a  long time off from my acting job. But  I guess  everything  happens  at the  right time.Now Vikram Bhatt’s OTT series Dangerous  is happening.I  am sure there  will be many  more  after this.

 What prompted you to take the plunge again , your Raaz director Vikram  Bhatt  or the temptation of working with your husband again?

Well after Alone,  our last  film together  , my husband  Karan  and I had got a  lot of offers  together. But I had made a  decision that I did not  want us to work together on everything that was offered to us. We didn’t want  to do any work together unless it was  very exclusive  and we said no to a lot of  things.

How  did  the two of you  sign Dangerous?

Dangerous was  first  offered to my husband Karan. Then Vikram Bhatt(who produces  the webseries) asked me  to take  a  narration. I totally loved it. The director  Bhushan Patel and  I had worked together before in Alone  and everything fell into place. I didn’t   accept   Dangerous because my husband was in it, or because Vikram Bhatt was  producer. It was a decision based entirely on  the script.Though I must admit  eventually both  Karan and Vikram turned  out to be a big plus.  I really enjoyed working  with them again.

Raaz remains your biggest hit…do you regret some of the choices you made after Raaz?

No,   not really.  Raaz is  not my biggest hit. I’ve had many hits. I’ve been blessed with many kinds  of films. I’m one  of  the lucky actresses to have done all kinds  of films, from multi-starrers to heroine-oriented  subjects, comedies,  non-Bollywood  Indian  films(like  Rituparno  Ghosh Bengali film) , art films…Every film is special to me.  Films that may look  like mistakes  to others are  not  mistakes for me  because they’ve helped me grow as an actor.I don’t think one can get it right each time.One has to go through the  process of finding one’s  bearings.I’ve loved all my films, even the bad ones. I really feel blessed for all  the love I  get after 19 years  in the  film industry.People want  to see me all the time. The media loves me. The fans  love me. So no regrets.

 A lot has changed since you did your last film.Would you say the  film industry is more organized now? A safer place for a single woman to work in?

 It’s  a constantly evolving situation. I never felt unsafe  in this industry. Right  from the   the time I came  in  I conducted  myself in a  way  where I was always given respect. I have heard  about  unfortunate  incidents in  lives of others. So I really can’t comment  in this issue on the basis  of my personal  experience alone.

How effective has the MeToo movement been in Bollywood? Do you think the cleansing process was required?

The MeToo Movement  was something that  was  waiting to happen  not just in Bollywood but in every industry and organization  in  the world. The cleansing  process was  required, eventhough  I haven’t come  across   any such incident of misbehaviour  personally . but I’ve heard   of these things..And I feel  the  perpetrators will  be   more careful now. Not that everyone has turned  into saints.  But yes, they will think many times before behaving badly.

 As an outsider how difficult was it for you to reach the top of the entertainment profession?

I feel  this  insider-outsider debate  has been  given  way too much importance . Yes  I  was an outsider. But  because of  the audiences’ acceptance I am an insider now.Every individual has her own journey her own struggles  be it a star-kid or an outsider. As outsiders we get  less  of a chance  to prove ourselves to be  accepted  by the audience.Once we get the audiences’ acceptance no one has the power  or authority to take  it away from us. I have  a lot of friends among star-kids .They all had to go through their share  of struggle, prove their talent. The  audience   accepts or rejects  them. Many star kids are nowhere  today. The  ones that  are  successful are the ones who deserve it. I do not  belong to any outsiders’ club. I had my own journey but   I  empathize with everyone’s struggle.

You don’t buy the nepotism  theory at all?

If  I’ve a  child  and he  or she  wants  to be  an actor it’s   not  a  crime.  I  don’t understand this   debate at  all.We should focus on  our  own struggles and not  judge the  struggle of others.

 How do you see your future? Any plans of motherhood?

I don’t believe in  living in  the  future. Motherhood?  If it happen it  happens let’s see. I  know I’ll make  a good mother.