Bips reloaded: Funky, new-age heroine

The sultry actress is in the news for more reasons than one. We bring to you all the action. (Photo Courtesy: Maxim)

Bipasha posted a Twitpic of her look in Singularity. Got to love a woman with a tika.

Bipasha took time off from the promotions of Dum Maaro Dum to visit the Taj Mahal.

Bipasha has posed topless on the cover of the January 2011 issue of Maxim, which marked their 5th anniversary.

Bipasha Basu found a new 3 am friend. Buzz is that the dusky actress has got super close to her Dum Maaro Dum co-star Rana Daggubati. Even though they worked together for the first time, the two got along like a house on fire. So much that every time Bips has a problem or something new to share she dials Rana.
With John Abraham out of her life, looks like she has found solace in Rana's arms.
(Source::Mid-Day.com)

We now hear that Josh Hartnett's real girlfriend, contrary to speculation, isn't his Singularity co-star Bipasha Basu. It's a Norwegian model named Sophia Lie.

Rana Daggubati and Bipasha too have fallen back to Bollywood's favourite line - 'we are just friends'! Friendships do attract loads of publicity, right Bips?

When Bipasha made her Bollywood debut she appeared in a number of films with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea. The couple later separated.

Bipasha began dating John Abraham in 2002 and they were considered to be one of the hottest couples in the film industry. And why won't they be? Apart, they're hot enough. But together, they were virtually inflammable material.

The Bipasha-John relationship briefly encountered rough weather, when she was photographerd kissing Cristiano Ronaldo. Though Bipasha maintains that she is just "friends" with the Portuguese footballer.

The couple made-up later, only to break up now once again. We don't know the reason this time though!

So she's our flavour of the week. Wouldn't you say it's justified?

Nicknamed Bonny, the 5'8" tall actress was born on January 7, 1979 in New Delhi.

Bipasha is the second of three sisters. Her parents who were based in Delhi, later moved to Kolkata.

As a kid, Bipasha was very mischivieous, in her own words "the Lady Goonda of the neighbourhood."

She was good in studies and was the prefect and also the head girl of Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir in Kolkata.

Bips entered the world of modelling and acting quite by accident, as initially she had planned to study medicine.

In Kolkata, she did modelling and rampshows partime. Bipasha started her modelling career at 16.

Though she wanted to be a doctor, her aversion for dissections made her opt for chartered accountancy.

In 1996, she met well-known model Mehr Jessia who suggested that Bipasha take part in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest. She eventually participated, and won the contest.

She went on to be the Ford Supermodel of the World in December 1996. Her modelling contracts took her to New York and Paris.

In 1998 Bipasha appeared in the famous video Tu for Sonu Nigam's album, Kismat. Later she made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video Stolen (2004).

Bipasha eventually got tired of modelling and considered going back to college or even starting a restaurant. And then her first acting offer came along.

For Bipasha "acting was an unplanned career move," as she considered herself "as too dark, too different from what is conventionally considered to be movie star material."

The sultry beauty made her film debut in Abbas Mustan's Ajnabee (2001), with Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Kareena Kapoor.

She played a married woman who goes all out to woo her husband's married friend, and eventually won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her role.

In 2002, Basu starred in Telugu movie Takkari Donga opposite Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu and Vikram Bhatt's thriller Raaz. Raaz was a big commercial success and surfaced as the biggest hit of that year. For her performance in Raaz, Bipasha received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards.

She appeared as Sonia Khanna in the 2003 hit Jism alongside John Abraham. The movie earned her a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination.

Bipasha again paired up with John for Aetbaar (2004), that also starred Amitabh Bachchan.

The Bipasha-John pair became quite a favourite with filmmakers, and the duo again appeared on screen together in Madhoshi (2004).

Bipasha made her foray into comedy with the 2005 hit No Entry. She was nominated for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance in the film.

In 2005 she also appeared in her first off-beat film Prakash Jha's Apaharan alongside Ajay Devgn.

Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate (2006) earned Bipasha her second Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination.

Bipasha's role, particularly the songs picturised on her, in Vishal Bharadwaj's Omkara were well appreciated. The Beedi song was a huge hit.

Bipasha appeared in a double role in the 2006 blockbuster Dhoom 2. The film had Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan playing lead roles.

The next big Bipasha hit was the Abbas-Mustan's 2008 film Race. In the same year she also appeared in Bachna Ae Haseeno, that got her nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

2009 was a mixed bag for Bipasha with Aa Dekhen Zara not making much of an impact and All The Best: Fun Begins turning out to be a hit at the box office.

Bipasha also appeared in her first ever Bengali film, Sob Choritro Kalponik, in 2009.

Her releases in 2010 were Aakrosh, Pankh and Lamhaa.

Bipasha is currently out and about promoting her upcoming thriller Dum Maaro Dum, costarring Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati and Prateik Babbar.