Bipasha Basu is a noted Indian actress who has made her presence felt in Hindi cinema, as well as in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and English films. She has been noted for her performances, most particularly in the genres of thriller and horror; therefore, she has been tagged as a scream queen and sex symbol. She has won several awards during her long career, including a Filmfare Award. In addition, many a time she remains in the limelight in media for her great contribution to the film industry.

Early Life and Modeling Career
Born on 7 January 1979 in Delhi, Bipasha Basu comes from a Bengali family. Her father, Hirak, is a civil engineer by profession, and her mother, Mamta, is a homemaker. Basu has two sisters: an elder sister named Bidisha and a younger sister named Vijayeta. Her name stands for “dark deep desire” and shares the name with a river, explaining metaphorically her strong impact on the Indian movie industry.

Basu spent her early childhood in Delhi where she resided in Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place, and later her family moved to Kolkata when she was eight. She studied at the Apeejay High School in Delhi and later at the Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir in Kolkata, where she was called ‘Lady Goonda’ due to her commanding personality. Her journey in the glamorous world began when she was spotted by model Mehr Jesia Rampal at a hotel in Kolkata in 1996. Basu, encouraged by Rampal, went on to participate and win the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest, after which she represented India at the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest in Miami.

Her modeling career took off immediately, with Basu featuring on numerous magazine covers and doing a few advertising campaigns, the most notable being the controversial Calida commercial with her then-boyfriend, Dino Morea. Her modeling career turned out to be the springboard for her successful crossover into films.

Acting Career
Bipasha Basu entered acting in 2001 with the thriller Ajnabee, starring opposite Akshay Kumar. The film fared well at the box office, and Basu’s performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. However, the title which brought her much-needed focus in this fledgling career was the 2002 horror movie Raaz. Helmed by Vikram Bhatt, Raaz went on to become one of the biggest hits among the many thrillers released that year, and Basu received a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance.

The career further rocketed with Basu appearing in the 2003 erotic thriller Jism, establishing her as a bankable actress capable of performing versatile roles. She ended up playing the leading lady in some high grossers like the 2005 comedy No Entry and the 2006 actioner Dhoom 2. Her role in the Tamil film Sachein and her cameo in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Omkara further established her as a versatile actress. The item number “Beedi” in Omkara turned out to be an overnight sensation, giving her a very prominent place in India and abroad.

Apart from films, Basu has appeared in music videos. Her work includes the famous video for Sonu Nigam’s “Tu” and Jay Sean’s “Stolen.” Her interest in fitness also made her release fitness DVDs titled Bollywood Bodies (2005) and Love Yourself: Fit & Fabulous You in 2010 that showcased being healthy is all about loving yourself.

Personal Life
The personal life of Bipasha Basu has mostly been scrutinized by the media, especially the high-profile relationships. She dated actor Dino Morea from the year 1996 to 2002. During the shooting of the film Jism in 2002, she started dating her co-actor John Abraham. The relationship with him till 2011 was widely reported by the media. After a short affair with actor Harman Baweja, Basu found love in the co-star of the film Alone, Karan Singh Grover. The couple got married on April 30, 2016. On August 2022, she announced that she is expecting her first child, and on 12 November 2022, their baby daughter Devi Basu Singh Grover was born.

Controversies
Bipasha Basu has had her run-ins with controversies over her career. Perhaps the most famous incident was when she got involved in an alleged “cat-fight” with Kareena Kapoor Khan, where a leaked photo indicated that both were having a kiss, though later it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Another controversy revolved around Basu and football star Cristiano Ronaldo. She was with him in a nightclub and was being romantically linked to him, but both denied the rumors.

Added to this was a high-profile scandal where an audio tape, purportedly with a conversation between Basu and politician Amar Singh, got leaked. Though the recording was faked, when it happened, there was quite a big media storm about it.