Bipasha Basu

It was Vikram Bhatt and ‘Raaz’ that got me interested in the medium of cinema. Before that, I was like any other youngster dabbling with various things – modelling, films – without a definite direction or focus. Now that I’m working with all of them, life has come full circle for me.

When I started out as a model, I took things for granted. Because I bagged work thanks to my looks, I didn’t give my body any importance. I was a couch potato who’d eat anything. Then, in 2005, a tabloid ran a story calling me fat. I thought, ‘I’m famous. How can I be fat?’ It was a slap. I decided to get fit.

It’s a brutal world out there. If you consider the case of superstar Rajesh Khanna, he was a darling of the masses in his hey days, and his fans resurfaced only after he passed away. Such is the life of actors: one gets so addicted to fame and glory, and then it is very difficult to accept a fall. You are forgotten and only remembered when you die!

I don’t think I’ve done any profound work yet… People ask me, ‘How would you want to be remembered?’ I tell them I don’t want to be remembered! I’m not here to become a Madhubala or receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. I’m not that kind of a person. And I’m not brash about it; it’s just the way I am.

I am so pathetic with machines in real life, it’s not a joke. I’d rather walk, or even run, than take the car out myself. I like to be driven around. Yes, I like fancy cars, and fancy bikes, too. It’s my dream to learn how to ride one myself, but for now, I am content being driven around.

Delhi is excellent. Everything looks so beautiful. In Bombay, we don’t have such beautiful roads, spacious places, and you cannot have the luxury of having houses and bungalows. You have to live in little pokey flats and cost of living is extremely high in Mumbai. Delhi has a lot that people keep preserving… a lot of which is what Delhi is about.

I’m active even on bad days; it’s tough to pin me down. People ask me if I’m a morning or night person. I’m an all-the-time person. I like drinking coffee, but I do it with lots of milk because my energy levels are high even without caffeine. You could call me Obelix, except I don’t have a belly.