Bipasha Basu was just three years into the film industry—with hits like Raaz and Ajnabee under her belt—when she made the bold decision to star in Mahesh Bhatt’s Jism. The move was widely frowned upon and deemed a potential career disaster, given the film’s erotic theme and provocative title. Yet, the actor chose to go ahead because she was deeply drawn to the story.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Bipasha opened up about challenging her image of the ‘typical Hindi heroine’ by choosing to do Jism. She said, “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.”
Bipasha revealed that although it was a risky move to take on such an erotic role in Jism, the film ultimately changed perspectives about what female actors could do on screen — especially when it came to playing grey or negative characters. It also influenced fashion and beauty trends among Indian women. “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 path-breaking for me. That has been one very important film,” she said.
Earlier, in an interaction on Tinder Swipe Ride, Pooja Bhatt — who produced Jism — recalled how she kept checking on Bipasha’s comfort levels while filming intimate scenes, but overlooked John Abraham, the male lead. She was later confronted by him for the same.
She recounted, “I went to actually explain to them what was required, and I’m telling Bipasha that this is what we have to do, but if you are not comfortable… and John just looked at me and said, ‘Excuse me? Does somebody mind asking me whether I am comfortable doing this?’ For me, that was like somebody threw a bucket of cold water on me. I said, how presumptuous of us women to think that it’s only the woman who is awkward in an intimate situation. The poor guy.”
Jism was directed by Amit Saxena and written by Mahesh Bhatt. The film also marked the Hindi film debut of John Abraham. It went on to become a massive success at the box office, cementing its place as a game-changer in the genre.
