Agent of Thrill

Her tryst with the unnatural isn’t done yet. In the coming two months,Vikram Bhatt’s Creature will have her fight creatures that have been familiarised to us through movies such as Anaconda and Jurassic Park. Basu narrates an incident which happened soon after Raaz 3 released. Her friend and colleague Bhatt,who directed her in Raaz 3,came to her with another horror-oriented script. “I was shooting Aatma at that time,and I did not want to be branded as someone who did just horror films,” she says. Bhatt then came back with another script,this time a film based on creatures. “He asked me if I wanted to be a part of India’s first creature film. When someone put it that way,how could I say no,” she states.

The model-turned-actress has had an interesting career graph. Right from Abbas-Mustan’s Ajnabee,which established her in the industry,to Jism,Raaz and Race,Basu — known for her glamour quotient — has essayed characters which have received applause. At this point in her career,looking glamorous isn’t the criteria anymore. “I am done looking beautiful. I have done that for so many years and have been successful at it. I now want to challenge myself with roles and genres which aren’t your usual run-of-the-mill fare,” she says.

The challenging roles apart,Basu also seems to have done a reality check on the limited choices a female Bollywood actor has. “Honestly,how many movies are written for women in Bollywood? Barring Vidya Balan who has reached a stage where movies are written for her,most of my contemporaries are happy doing candyfloss romances. Instead of doing that,I feel it is better to be a part of a genre that stands out,” she says. The fact that horror as a genre doesn’t quite fall in the B-grade category anymore,is an added advantage. “Horror as a genre is gaining prominence in Bollywood. The production qualities have improved and so have the storylines. Many directors also specialise in the genre now,” adds Basu.