After delivering hits like ‘Raaz’ and ‘Ajnabee’, Bipasha Basu made a decision that many around her thought would derail everything, signing on for Mahesh Bhatt‘s ‘Jism’. The actress has now revisited that phase, revealing how she was cautioned that the film’s bold content could end her career before it truly began.
Bipasha Basu on ‘Jism’ warnings
Speaking to Elle, Bipasha Basu recalled the pushback she faced. She said, “Everybody in the business told me, ‘Do not do this film.’ They said I would be finished if I did something which had a little bit of erotica. And my take was that I’m an adult. It’s an adult love story. It is made as an adult film. It is not for the kids. I really enjoyed the shades of Sonia in that film, and I just knew that I had to do it.”She also spoke about the cultural ripple effect the film created, particularly around fashion and beauty trends. She added, “Suddenly the waves and the tongs and the big kohl, the bronze skin, the white outfits, the beach – everything started trending in a big way. The look completely changed, and people really started accepting the bold. So I do think there are things that I have done which changed the way a woman looked at that point of time in our business for the better. It’s not just that I did different things; it’s also that I got accepted differently.”
Bipasha Basu on breaking away from the ‘conventional heroine’ tag
In an earlier conversation with Hindustan Times, Bipasha Basu had spoken about how the film pushed her away from the typical leading-lady mould. She shared, “‘Jism’ was the time when I was at the peak, and everyone told me, ‘You cannot do an adult content film. You are like the typical Hindi heroine who is now established in people’s hearts.’ And I said, I just like the story so much. I said I’ll go ahead and do it. Everybody stopped me from doing it. My manager thought I had gone crazy.”She further noted how the film reshaped attitudes toward women playing grey or negative roles in Hindi cinema. She said, “But it worked for me, and then things changed. Women suddenly were tonging their hair. They wore a bronze look. There was no stereotypical thinking that the woman can’t play the negative character. It all changed after that. So it’s been pathbreaking for me. That has been one very important film.”Directed by Amit Saxena and written by Mahesh Bhatt, ‘Jism’ went on to become a commercial success.
