Terukkuttu is a Tamil street theatre form practised in Tamil Nadu state of India and Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka.^[1] Terukuttu is a form of entertainment, a ritual, and a medium of social instruction.^[2] The terukkuttu plays various themes. One theme is from the Tamil language versions of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, focusing on the character Draupadi.^[3] The terms Terukkuttu and Kattaikkuttu are often used interchangeably in the modern times; however, historically the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages, between two different kinds of performance: while Terukkuttu referred to mobile performances in a procession, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a fixed performance space.^[4]

History[link]

The term "terukkuttu" is derived from the Tamil words Teru ("street") and Kuttu ("theatre").^[5] The word "Kattaikuttu" is derived from the name of special ornaments known as kattai (or kattai camankal).

The writer M. Shanmugam Pillai has compared terukkuttu to the Tamil epic Silappatikaram, calling Silappatikaram a proto-form of terukkuttu. The Silappatikaram story is still performed by the terukkuttu actors, the terukkuttu drama commences and ends in a manner similar to the commencement and end of each canto in the epic, and the actors sing and converse in verse interspersed with prose, the prose coming after the verse as its explanation. Both Silappatikaram and terukkuttu are centered around the chastity and moral power of women as cherished values.^[2]

However, historically, the terukkuttu is not more than two to three centuries old.^[2] The researcher Richard A. Frasca wrote that certain of his performer-informants believed that the terukkuttu originally emanated from the Gingee area.^[6] It spread from South India to Sri Lanka, and became popular in Jaffna and Batticaloa. The early Sinhala Nadagam (open-air drama) closely followed Terukuttu plays in presentation and in style.^[7] The Jesuit priests in Jaffna also presented Catholic plays from the Portuguese tradition in Terukuttu style.^[8]

Many scholars note the similarity between terukkuttu and other neighbouring regional drama forms, such as Yakshagana and Kathakali.^[9] However, unlike Kathakali, terukkuttu is less codified, and is generally considered a folk art rather than a classical art form.^[10] In recent times, some terukkuttu groups have also started operating as professional troupes.^[11]

Theme[link]

Many terukuttu performances center around the enactment of Mahabharata story, with emphasis on the role of Draupadi. Terukkuttu plays on Ramayana are performed at Mariyamman festivals, and some of the plays also involve local deities.^[9]

The terukkuttu plays form part of ritual celebrations including the twenty-one day temple festival starting in Chittirai, the first month of the Tamil calendar.^[2] The terukkuttu performances begin in the middle of the festival, and continue till the morning of the penultimate day.

The core themes of the terukuttu plays include:

• Draupadi Kalyanam (The marriage of Draupadi)
• Supattirai Kalyanam (The marriage of Subhadra)
• Alli Arjunan (The Marriage of Arjuna with Alli)
• Pancal Capatam (The Vow of Draupadi)
• Arjunan Tapam (Arjuna's tapas)
• Krishnan Titu (The mission of Krishna)
• Abhimanyu Cantai (The defeat of Abhimanyu)
• Karna Mokshayam (The defeat of Karna)
• Patinettam Por (The Battle of the Eighteenth Day)
• Aravan kalappali ("Sacrifice of Aravan in the Battlefield")^[12]

Style[link]

The terukkuttu plays are a combination of song, music, dance and drama. The actors wear colorful costumes. The musical instruments used by the terukkuttu musicians include harmonium, drums, a mukhavinai (an instrument similar to oboe), and cymbals.

An acting arena is marked at courtyard of a temple, open ground or any other convenient site and people squat on the three sides of the rectangular arena. The chorus of singers and the musicians occupy the place on the rear side of the stage, and the actors use the front side. Two persons holding a curtain enter the arena, with an actor in the guise of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god. The chorus begins an invocation to Ganesha, and prayers are also offered to many other deities. The actor playing Ganesha now moves out of the arena, and Kattiyakkaran (jester and sutradhara i.e. the narrator) appears on the stage. Kattiyakkaran relates the story fo the play to be performed and introduces the characters. Sometimes, the characters introduce themselves. Kattiyakkaran links the scenes, provides context to the happenings on the stage and also jests in between the scenes. The actors sing themselves, supported by the chorus.

The text of a terukkuttu play is a series of songs of songs related by a theme. Each song is rendered in a raga, structured in form of a classical song. It is preceded by viruttam, chanting of four-line verses in the same raga as the song.^[13] After the song, an actor delivers a speech based on it.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Frasca, Richard Armando (1990). Theatre of the Mahabharata: terukkuttu Performances in South India. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1290-4. OCLC 21147946. 
• Gentes, Mary Josephine (1987). Hinduism through village dance drama : narrative image and ritual process in South India's terukkuttu and Yaksagana ritual theaters (Ph.D. thesis). University of Virginia. OCLC 20052719. 
• Frasca, Richard Armando (1998). "The Dice Game and the Disrobing (Pakatai Tuyil): A terukkuttu Performance". Asian Theatre Journal (University of Hawai'i Press) 15 (1): 1–44. DOI:10.2307/1124097. JSTOR 1124097. 
• Bruin, Hanne M de (1999). Kattaikkuttu: The flexibility of a south Indian theatre tradition. E. Forsten. ISBN 978-90-6980-103-2. OCLC 42312297. 
• Shivaprakash, H S (2007). "Regional theatres (ix. Terukuttu)". Traditional theatres. Wisdom Tree. ISBN 978-81-8328-075-4. OCLC 85833550. 

External links[link]

• Kattaikkuttu or terukkuttu

Ashmit Patel
Born	(1978-01-13) 13 January 1978 (age 34) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actor
Years active	2002–present
Relatives	Amisha Patel (sister)

Ashmit Amit Patel (born 13 January 1978^[1]) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.

Early life[link]

Patel was born to a Gujarati Hendre Patel Hindu family in Mumbai. He is the son of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, the younger brother of Amisha Patel,^[2] and the grandson of the famous lawyer-politician Barrister Rajni Patel who was the Congress Pradesh Committee President of Mumbai (then Bombay). His birth name is an amalgamation of his parents' names.^[1]

Patel studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai and later attended the University of Texas at Austin in United States, from which he received a Bachelor's Degree in Business in 2000.^[3] After graduation he worked in his father's business for a while, but later decided to act in films like his sister.

Career[link]

Patel started his career as an assistant director and worked with Vikram Bhatt in the making of his films, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002), Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Raaz (2002) and Footpath (2003).^[4] He made his acting debut with the film Inteha directed by Vikram Bhatt.^[5] In 2004, he appeared alongside Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi in the thriller Murder, a Bollywood inspiration of Unfaithful. The film was his first commercial success.^[6]

In 2005, Patel starred in Soni Razdan's thriller Nazar^[7] and Khalid Mohammed's multi-starrer Silsilay. Both the films were unsuccessful at the box office.^[8] In 2006, he also played leading roles in Dil Diya Hai, Banaras and Fight Club.^[9] In 2007, he starred in the comedy Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana alongside Mahima Chaudhary and Rekha.^[10] His next film Toss was released in 2009.^[11]

Patel featured as one of the finalists in the fourth season of the Indian television reality show Bigg Boss.^[12] He is currently hosting a show Superstud on UTV Bindass and working on two films, Good Night and Future Toh Bright Hai Jee.

Filmography[link]

Assistant Director[link]

• Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) (second assistant director)

Reality television[link]

As Contestant

References[link]

He Is Also Have Some Phobia's

External links[link]

• Ashmit Patel at the Internet Movie Database

Riya Sen
Riya Sen at a fashion show
Born	Riya Dev Varma (1981-01-24) 24 January 1981 (age 31) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Occupation	Actor, model
Parents	Bharat Dev Varma Moon Moon Sen
Relatives	Raima Sen (sister) Suchitra Sen (grand mother)

Riya Sen (Bengali: রিয়া সেন [ˈrija ˈʃen]; born Riya Dev Varma on 24 January 1981) is an Indian film actress and model. Riya, who comes from a family of actors including her grandmother Suchitra Sen, mother Moon Moon Sen and sister Raima Sen, began her acting career in 1991 as a child actress in the film Vishkanya. Her first commercial success in her film career was with Style, a 2001 Hindi low-budget sex comedy directed by N. Chandra. Some of her other films include producer Pritish Nandy's musical film, Jhankaar Beats (2003) in Hinglish, Shaadi No. 1 (2005) Malayalam horror film Ananthabhadram (2005).

Riya was first recognised as a model when she performed in Falguni Pathak's music video Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi at the age of sixteen. Since then, she has appeared in music videos, television commercials, fashion shows, and on magazine covers. She has been a heartthrob sensation throughout India. Riya has worked as an activist and appeared in an AIDS awareness music video with the aim of dispelling popular myths about the disease. She also helped raise funds for pediatric eye-care. Riya has faced controversies such as a MMS clip with actor Ashmit Patel, her semi-nude photograph on photographer Dabboo Ratnani's annual calendar and her on-screen kisses in a conservative Indian film industry.

Acting career[link]

Riya first appeared as a child artist in the film Vishkanya in 1991, where she played the role of the young Pooja Bedi. At the age of 18, she did National Film Awards winning director Bharathiraja's Tamil film, Taj Mahal (2000), which did not achieve commercial success.^[1] She was scheduled to make her Bollywood film debut in Love You Hamesha, opposite actor Akshaye Khanna; however, the film was stalled, and she finally made her debut in N. Chandra's Style in 2001.^[2] This low-budget sex comedy^[3][4] was the first commercial success in over a decade for the director.^[5] A launch pad for Riya, cast in the female lead along with fellow-newcomers, Sharman Joshi, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal, the film pioneered a trend of commercial success for small budget films in India.^[6][7] Riya and the second female lead of the film were replaced by aspirant actresses Sunali Joshi and Jaya Seal in Xc'.^[8][9]

Her next success was Jhankaar Beats, a comedy revolving around the music of legendary composer R D Burman, which saw her playing a small and glamorous role^[10] alongside Shayan Munshi, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna and Sanjay Suri. Produced by Pritish Nandy, publishing director of The Times of India,^[11] the film was made on a budget of Rs. 25 million (US$525,000),^[11] marking the sixth in a row of small to medium budget films made by Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC).^[12] Despite being part of a wave of offbeat films that mostly failed to make an impact at the box office,^[13][14] it drew public attention upon its release, which led to a commercial success among a restricted audience targeted by a selective release in twenty cities.^[12][15] It was one of the first films made in Hinglish, a mixture of Hindi and English.^[16][17] In 2005, she starred in Shaadi No. 1, which had no female lead.^[18] This comedy, based on the theme of modern marriage, was directed by David Dhawan, a renowned film director from this genre.^[19][20]

Although films like Style and Jhankar Beats succeeded commercially, most of her later films have generated less revenue.^[21][22] A number of them remained unfinished. While many of her appearances have been item numbers and cameos,^[23][24][25] few of her leading roles have been in low-budget films.^[26] Though she had small roles in Dil Vil Pyar Vyar (2002), Qayamat (2003) and Plan (2004), attention was drawn to her item numbers in all three, especially the one in Qayamat that featured her in a bubble-bath.^[21][27][28] Besides this, she performed another item number in James (2005) on director-producer Ram Gopal Varma's behest, who has a history of casting aspirant actress-models like Sameera Reddy, Isha Koppikar and Koena Mitra in similar roles.^[29] Furthermore, she took part in a dance number for Sajid Khan's Heyy Babyy (2007) that featured several mainstream Bollywood actresses.^[30]

Non-Hindi films[link]

Riya has, in addition to Bollywood films, appeared in Bengali, Tamil,Telugu, Malayalam and English films. Her film career began in the earnest with Tamil films such as Bharathi Raja's Taj Mahal, co-starring Manjoj Bharatiraja in the male lead, and Manoj Bhatnaghar's Good Luck, opposite Prasanth. Both of the films failed commercially, and she had a brief reappearance in Tamil cinema only to perform in a dance number for N. Maharajan's Arasatchi.^{[35][dead link]}

Her first English language movie was It Was Raining That Night, a remake of the Bengali film Hei Brishtir Raat, scripted by Sudeshna Roy and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. In the film, she collaborated with mother Moon Moon Sen.^[36] Riya was slated to appear in Anjan Dutta's Bengali-English bilingual film The Bong Connection with her sister, but she was eventually dropped from the project and replaced by Peeya Rai Chaudhary.^[37] The two sisters were later cast together in director Ajai Sinha's The Bachelor, a Bengali film that, as of 2008, is yet to be finished.^[38]

Her most successful non-Hindi film has been director Santhosh Sivan's Ananthabhadram (2005). The first Malayalam venture for both Riya and Sivan,^[39][40] was both a critical and commercial success. It won five Kerala State Film Awards^[33] and surfaced as one of the biggest Malayalam successes that year.^[31][32] She played the role of Bhama in the film, a village girl who is lured by Digambaran, the evil magician portrayed by Manoj K. Jayan. In a song-and-dance sequence showing Digambaran turning Bhama into a medium for demonic rituals, the choreographer Aparna Sindoor made abundant use Kathakali movements.^[41] The use of Kathakali has been a high point in the resurgence of the classical dance form in other major Indian films as well,^[42] including Shaji Karun's Vanaprastham (1999) and Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair (2005).^[43][44] She made her Telugu Debut with Nenu Meeku Telusa...?, in which she was paired opposite Manoj Manchu.

Modeling career[link]

Riya became a popular model when she appeared in numerous music videos for songs by popular singers, including Falguni Pathak's Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi (alternative title: Chudi Jo Khankayi), Asha Bhosle's Jhumka Gira Re, Jagjit Singh and Bhosle's Jab Samne Tum and Kahin Kahin Se, Lata Mangeshkar, Bhonsle and Singh's Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin, Sonu Nigam's Jeena Hai Tere Liye and Shaan's Sutta Maro. She shot for her first music video, Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi, at the age of sixteen.^[45][46] This led to her being identified primarily as a performer for music videos early in her career,^[47] an image she aimed to shed in 2005.^[48] Riya has appeared on several magazine covers, including Femina, Elaan,^[49] Man's World,^[50] Gladrags, Savvy and Indian versions of Elle, Maxim and Cosmopolitan,^[51] as well as on the ramp of major fashion shows like Lakmé Fashion Week (2005–07) and Wills Fashion Week (2006–2007). She participated in fashion shows along with her elder sister, Raima Sen.^[52] Besides modeling, Riya has ventured into the advertisement world as well. A high point of her modeling career came in 2006, when she became the soft drink, Limca's brand ambassador, replacing Deepika Padukone.^[53][54] Her other notable assignments include Colgate, Dabur Vatika, Reliance Industries, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, and Nirma.

In 2004, she was featured partially nude in leading Indian photographer Dabboo Ratnani's annual calendar, which is a major happening in the Indian glamor industry.^[55][56] According to Daboo, "Her mother saw it much later, after the calendar released. She thought it was too sexy, and Riya shouldn't have done it. But the response to the photograph was superb. Riya was so thrilled that for her next ad campaign, she asked me to light her up like I did in this."^[57] A career highlight for the model,^[58] it led to a three year contract with Ratnani to feature her on his annual calendar.^[59] She is the only female face to be featured on the calendar in five consecutive years (2003–07).^[60][61]

Personal life and family[link]

Born on 24 January 1981 in Kolkata, West Bengal, Riya is the daughter of Moon Moon Sen, a former actress,^[21][62] and granddaughter of Suchitra Sen, a legend in Bengali cinema.^[63] Before leaving for Mumbai, she lived in Kolkata with her parents and sister Raima Sen, also an actress. Her father Bharat Dev Varma is a member of the royal family of Tripura.^[64] Her paternal grandmother, Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch Behar, whose younger sister Gayatri Devi was the Maharani of Jaipur.^[64] Her paternal great-grandmother Indira was the only daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda.^[65][66] Riya's maternal great-grandfather Adinath Sen was a prominent Kolkata businessman, whose father Dinanath Sen - a relative of former Union Law Minister Ashoke Kumar Sen- was the Diwan or a Minister of the Maharaja of Tripura.^[67] The sisters are credited on-screen under their mother's maiden name, although their official papers carry the surname Dev Varma.^[68]

Riya completed her schooling at Loreto House and Rani Birla Girls' College, both in Kolkata.^[64] Thereafter, she studied at the National Institute of Fashion Technology,^[69] and she took up jewellery-designing as a hobby.^[70] She designs most of the clothes that she wears in films and commercials.^[71] Riya is trained in Kathak and is still pursuing it under Vijayshree Chaudhury.^[72] She is taking kickboxing lessons and has completed Level I of the 5 levels in belly dancing.^[10][73] Riya entered the film industry through small-time modeling assignments, commuting between Mumbai and Kolkata and traveling by public transport during her early career.^[21][74][75] After breaking into the film industry, she shifted from her mother's house in Ballygunge Circular Road in south Kolkata to Mumbai.^[76] There she moved into the family house in Juhu, where she stays with her sister.^[75][77] During her stay in Mumbai, the media romantically linked her to model and actor John Abraham.^[78] In the Bollywood press, she was, in 2008, speculatively linked to the novelist Salman Rushdie, although both stated that they were simply good friends.^[79]

Riya has suffered a number of untimely incidents. During the filming of Shaadi No. 1 in France, she was knocked unconscious after being accidentally run over by a stuntman's motorbike, but she was not seriously injured.^[80] Shortly before the release of Silsiilay, in which she starred opposite her boyfriend Ashmit Patel, a 90-second video clip was circulated through Multimedia Messaging Services and the internet, showing the pair in compromising situations.^[52][81] This was one of a number of controversies that erupted when celebrities were caught in similar situations using cameraphones.^[82][83] Following this incident, the couple split up,^[84][85] although Riya denied that she was the girl in the MMS clip.^[83] One commentator claimed that the footage was an orchestrated publicity stunt.^[86] In 2007, she underwent a brief detoxification session in Bangkok for addiction to chocolate.^[87]

Public persona[link]

Riya's on-screen performances have established her as a sex symbol and youth icon in India.^[10][88][89] Since entering the film industry, she has gained attention for wearing a bikini in Shaadi No. 1^[90][91] and sharing on-screen kisses with co-stars Ashmit Patel in Silsiilay and Sharman Joshi in Style, respectively. Such performances garnered attention because of the relatively conservative outlook of Indian cinema and her own statements about such practises.^[24][92][93] Before becoming a film identity, she had a reputation for partying, which started at the age of fifteen.^[94][95] Riya's public persona is compared to her mother Moon Moon, who was seen as a sex symbol of her time,^[52][96] while her sister Raima is mostly compared their grandmother Suchitra.^[62][97]

Although her film career has yet to achieve large-scale success, Riya has generated considerable media attention. She was ranked ninth on Femina 50 Most Beautiful Women, published in the magazine's September 2007 issue. She was a jury member for the 2008 Final of the Mr. India contest.^[98] Along with Bollywood actors such as Waheeda Rehman, Shilpa Shetty, Dia Mirza, Raveena Tandon, Jackie Shroff, Naseeruddin Shah, Tabu and Lara Dutta, Riya appeared in Haath Se Haath Mila, an HIV/AIDS awareness music video.^[89][99] She made charity appearances at McDonald's India to raise money for paediatric eye-care during World Children's Week (14–20 November) in 2003.^[100]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

• List of Indian film actresses
• List of Bollywood Clans: The Sens
• Sex in Indian entertainment

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Riya Sen

• Riya Sen at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Riya Sen in The Telegraph
• Riya and Raima compared in The Telegraph
• Riya Sen on her mother in Hindustan Times

Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu at the press conference of IIFA Singapore, 2012
Born	(1979-01-07) 7 January 1979 (age 33)[1] New Delhi, Delhi, India
Occupation	Film actress, model
Years active	2001–present
Partner	Dino Morea (1996–2002) John Abraham (2002–2011)
Signature
Website
BipashaBasunet.com

Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979)^[1] is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi language films. She has also worked in Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is a former model who had a successful modeling career before venturing into films.^[2]

She debuted in a negative role in Ajnabee (2001) which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first commercial success was Raaz (2002). She was then noticed for her bold role in the erotic thriller film, Jism (2003).^[3] She starred in top grossing films like 2005's biggest hit – No Entry, Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Dhoom 2 (2006) – her biggest commercial success till date and Race (2008). Her performances in Apharan (2005), Corporate (2006), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and Lamhaa (2010) won her multiple nominations for several awards. She is frequented in the media as a "sex symbol".^[4][5][6]

She has been nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress twice each along with one nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Roles apart, she is also renowned for her item songs like "Phoonk De" in No Smoking (2007), and "Beedi" and "Namak Ishq Ka" in Omkara (2006).^[7] Basu is slated to make her international film debut with the 2012 Australian film Singularity.

Early life and modeling career[link]

Basu was born in Delhi to a Bengali Hindu family. She is the second of three sisters, the elder one being Bidisha and the younger one, Bijayeta. She lived in Delhi till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School.^[8] Her family then moved to Kolkata where she studied science till 12th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Don' in her school as everyone was scared of her and she was short and round.^[9]

Basu moved to the commerce stream after 10th standard, studying at Bhawanipur Education Society College in preparation for the 12th standard board exams. At this time, she began doing ramp shows and modeling part-time.^[10][11] In 1996, she won both the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest and the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest.^[12][13] Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company and began her successful modelling career at the age of 17. She then appeared in the Calida commercial along with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea which was controversial for picturising them sultrily. She had some protesters outside her house after that.^[12] She has appeared on over 40 magazine covers.^[13]

Acting career[link]

Debut and Breakthrough (2001–02)[link]

One of the judges of the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Basu participated, Vinod Khanna, wanted to launch her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in Himalay Putra, but she felt she was too young and declined the role which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. After returning home, she was convinced by another judge, Jaya Bachchan, to play the role of a village belle opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta’s Aakhari Mughal. However the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made Refugee with Kareena Kapoor.^[14] Basu was also offered a role in Refugee opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.^[11][15]

In 2001, Basu finally made her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Vijay Galani’s Ajnabee. The film, directed by Abbas-Mustan, was inspired by the American film Consenting Adults.^[16] It was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics.^[17] However, Basu’s performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[11]

In 2002, Basu starred in the year’s most successful thriller, Raaz.^[18] Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the film established Basu in the Hindi film industry. Her portrayal of a woman who is pursued by a spirit received positive reviews. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance."^[19] She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raaz.^[20] She then appeared in supporting roles in Sanjay Gadhvi’s Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai and David Dhawan’s Chor Machaaye Shor, both of which failed critically and commercially. She also appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, Takkari Donga as a mischievous thief, Panasa. Gunaah, which released later that year, was also a box-office failure.^[18] She played the role of a cop who loves a convict and tries to reform him.^[21] Derek Elley of Variety observed that Basu was a miscast as the "idealistic cop".^[22]

Initial success and struggle phase (2003–05)[link]

In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt’s thriller, Jism, which was well received by critics and fared well at the box office.^[23] She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extra-marital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. The film ranked 92 in the top 100 sexiest movie scenes poll conducted by Channel 4.^[24] Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented, "...the real show stealer is Bipasha Basu ; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi."^[25] She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for Jism. Her next release, Zameen, failed to make impact among audience.^[23]

Basu had four releases in 2004, all of which performed moderately and drew mixed reviews. She collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her first release Aetbaar. She played the role of a young girl who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "...The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting."^[26] Her next film was Mani Shankar’s Rudraksh which was based on the Indian epic Ramayana. The film was a disaster at the box-office and was panned by the critics.^[27] She then starred in Rakht as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of Planetbollywood wrote, "Bipasha Basu impresses in a different look and role."^[28] Her final release that year was Anil Sharma’s Madhoshi opposite John Abraham.^[29] Her performance of a mentally unstable girl was generally well received.^[30]

In 2005, she appeared in the love triangle Barsaat alongside Bobby Deol and Priyanka Chopra. Taran Adarsh commented, "...As an actor, she [Bipasha Basu] does show sparks only towards the end."^[31] She also starred in the Tamil film, Sachein which was a hit and then in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, which won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay.^[32][33] In this period, she refused to act in art-films due to salary problems.^[34] Besides acting, Basu did the video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, Kismat. She made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video Stolen.^[35]

Success (2005–2009)[link]

After a slow start, Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of No Entry, Corporate and Dhoom 2.^[5] No Entry grossed 71 crore at the box-office and was the highest grossing film of 2005.^[36] Basu essayed the role of a bargirl who acts as wife of two men. She earned Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. 2006 was equally successful for her with her four major releases, Phir Hera Pheri, Corporate, Omkara and Dhoom 2, performing well critically and commercially.^[37][38] Phir Hera Pheri became the ninth highest grossing film of the year.^[39] She was featured in a bit but significant role of a con woman who steals a sum of 10 million from the protagonists. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, she gave up her glamorous look for the role of a businesswoman who has no qualms in taking advantage of her sexuality to con the CEO of a rival company. She won accolades from critics for her performance. Critic Aparna wrote, "[...] she has done a fabulous job as an ambitious woman. The kind of shrewdness in a woman that she essays has never been seen before in India films."^[40] She was nominated for the second time for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello, Omkara, Basu essayed the role of Bianca. She caught the attention of public with her dance number Beedi which was highly popular in India and overseas.^[41] Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "...Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that."^[42] Basu became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in Aditya Chopra’s Dhoom 2. She reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene.^[43] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and gently slips into the shadows as a pretty accessory."^[44]

In 2007, Ronnie Screwvala’s Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal performed below average at the box-office. The song picturised on John Abraham and Basu, "Billo Rani", became quite popular and earned her the nickname "Billo Rani", though equal credit must be given to Omkara in which her name was Billo Chanambahar.^[45] In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas-Mustan for Race. She played the role of Sonia who is stuck in a love-triangle between two brothers (played by Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) and through the course, she murders one of them. The film grossed 68 crores at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India and performed good enough overseas as well.^[46] Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She’s superb".^[47] Basu’s work in Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her earned her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She completed 2008 by appearing during the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.^[7]

Her first release in 2009, Aa Dekhen Zara failed to do well at the box-office.^[48] Rohit Shetty’s All The Best: Fun Begins performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans.^[49] Later that year, Basu surprised everybody with Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film, Shob Charitro Kalponik. "I love saris and I'm wearing a lot of them in Ritu's film," she said.^[50] She gave up her glamorous look and was praised by critics for her performance. Critic Subhash K Jha spoke high of her. He said, "...Bipasha [Basu] pulls out all stops to deliver her career’s best performance. Her moments of anguish before and after her screen-husband’s death are expressed in tones of cathartic conviction that we never knew existed within Bipasha." He also compared her with the multiple award winning actress, Shabana Azmi, commenting that Basu’s anguished portrayal of bereavement can be equaled by Azmi only.^[51]

Recent Work (2010–present)[link]

With the 2010 film Pankh, Basu returned with her alluring image as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist’s mind.^[53] She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia’s Lamhaa which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir.^[54] Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals in Kashmir due to the controversial theme.^[55] During the shooting of Lamhaa, she left the sets at Anantnag and headed back to Mumbai citing she was afraid of the crowd there. Producer Bunty Walia thought of replacing her with Vidya Balan but she returned for the shoot later with necessary security arrangements.^[56][57] NDTV Movies wrote, "Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions. The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot."^[58] Basu then appeared as the wife of a ruthless cop in Priyadarshan’s Aakrosh who helps the police with investigation on honor killings in their village. She met with mixed reviews for the film. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India commented, "Bipasha actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal."^[59]

Her only release in 2011 was Dum Maaro Dum which performed reasonably well at the box-office and met with good reviews from critics.^[60][61] Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is DMD [Dum Maaro Dum], in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it."^[62] Basu collaborated with Abbas-Mustan for the third time in Players which became the first release of 2012.^[63] The film was an official remake of The Italian Job.^[64] Players was heavily compared to The Italian Job and was criticized for its execution and performances, including that of Basu.^[65] She made her English language debut with Roland Joffé’s epic drama Singularity which will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.^[66][67] She plays the role of a Maratha warrior Taluja Naik in the film.^[68] Basu is also signed by Vikram Bhatt for the third time for Raaz 3D, the third film in the Raaz series. Principal photography of the film began in January, 2012.^[69] She will also be seen in a guest appearance reprising her role of Race in the upcoming film by Abbas-Mustan, Race 2.^[70][71]

Personal life[link]

Basu with ex-boyfriend John Abraham at the launch of the Filmfare magazine (2007).

Basu was in a relationship with her Raaz co-star Dino Morea since 1996 till they broke up in 2002.^[72] Soon afterwards during the filming of Jism, Basu began to date her co-star John Abraham, and they were in a relationship till early 2011 when the couple officially broke off.^[73][74][75] While together, the two were often referred to as a supercouple in the Indian media.^[76] Basu has been in the limelight since her bold role in Jism. She ranked 8 in Times 50 most desirable Women in 2011 and ranked 13 in 2012.^[77][78] UK magazine Eastern Eye named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia" twice in 2005 and 2007.^[79]

Basu is an advocate of physical fitness. Apart from films, she released a fitness DVD called Love Yourself, which emphasized on being strong, healthy, and loving one’s self.^[80] She was also the brand ambassador of Sugar Free, which helped her promoting the DVD. Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment said, "A celebrity like Bipasha Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness."^[81] She had previously worked on another fitness video called Bollywood Bodies with John Abraham.^[82]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• List of Indian film actresses

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bipasha Basu

• Official website
• Bipasha Basu at the Internet Movie Database
• Bipasha Basu at the Fashion Model Directory