At 30, Bipasha Basu looking for serious roles

She came into the limelight with her coffee bean complexion in Ajnabee and was called a scorcher for her skin show in Jism. But Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu, who turns 30 on Wednesday, has now moved on from being just a sex icon and is signing on mature roles.

Voted the Sexiest Asian woman in 2007 by the British weekly newspaper Eastern Eye, the starlet of films like Rudraksh, No Entry, Omkara and Dhoom 2 is taking steps towards signing on for serious roles.

"If I don't like what's being offered, I won't sign anything (any more)," Bipasha had earlier said.

Her stint with arthouse movie started with Prakash Jha's 2005 political drama Apaharan. He presented her in a deglamourised role, but it was Ajay Devgan who had an author-backed role.

Bipasha's first meatier role was in Madhur Bhandarkar's critically acclaimed 2006 film Corporate. She proved her mettle and both critics and audiences applauded her performance. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.

Last year she did Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film Shob Charitro Kalponik and is currently doing Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's Pankh and Rahul Dholakia's Lamhaa.

Despite churning out fewer hits and more misses, the actress, who entered filmdom in 2001, constantly hogged the limelight, thanks to her oomph factor.

Her long-awaited share of fame came in 2008 with hits like Race and Bachna Ae Haseeno. She is now breaking from convention and taking on new challenges.

For Lamhaa, Bipasha is all set to change the dynamics of physical appearances of a Kashmiri girl.

"When you think of a Kashmiri girl in our movies, what comes to mind is a fair-skinned, light-eyed girl. But I want to disprove that myth. The pre-conceived notions have to be overcome," said Bipasha.

Bollywood's leggy beauties

Thankfully Deepika Padukone is dating tall dude Ranbir, or her long legs may have caused her beau some embarassment



Rising star Katrina Kaif is yet another Bollywood diva with amazing legs.



Priyanka Chopra's gorgeous legs have taken her far this year. With the coming of Fashion and Dostana she has now been established as an A-league actress



Model turned actress Mugdha Godse showed off her model's legs in Fashion



Check out the Bollywood beauties with the sexiest legs. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may look a tad short next to hubby Abhishek but she has still got the legs of a world-class model.



In the past year Shilpa Shetty's life has been just perfect and that includes her legs.



Budding actress Jiah Khan too can boast of really gorgeous legs



Bipasha Basu too was a model in her pre-Bollywood days and she has made it a point to retain her perfect legs.



Actress Neha Dhupia needs to train her legs to direct her towards some success in tinsel town.

Katrina Kaif is sexiest Asian woman for 2008

Katrina Kaif is sexiest Asian woman for 2008

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has been adjudged the sexiest Asian woman in the world in 2008 by a UK-based weekly, with last year's winner Bipasha Basu pushed to the second spot.

In the annual round conducted by 'Eastern Eye', a leading British Asian newspaper, Kaif emerged on the top in a shortlist of 10.

The judges included Brianna Ragel, editor of Asian Woman Magazine and the former editor of FHM India, Farhad Dadyburjor.

Hamant Verma, editor of Eastern Eye, said: "Katrina Kaif's natural beauty and easy charm has enabled her stock to rise in Bollywood. This has resulted in a number of lucrative offers, and appearances in films that proved to be box-office hits."

Kaif, who was brought up in London, was ranked one place above last year's winner Bipasha Basu and two ahead of 2006 winner Priyanka Chopra. Kareena Kapoor came third in the list.

New entrants to the 'sexiest list' included Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat (nine), Miss India Universe Simran Kaur Mundi (10), former Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandez (12) and south Indian actress Asin (22).

Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai was at the seventh place.

2008: The super-couples of Bollywood

What is Bollywood without its duets? How glossy would be Bolly premieres without hand-in-hand entries?
Bombay has always celebrated its couples, from Himanshu Rai-Devika Rani to Saifareena. It has been an Eden for lovers, both on and off the screen. The Bolly buff, on his part, has made these romances a part of Indian mythology.
Here is a list of Bollywood's super hit couples of 2008. Watch out! There is a sursprise in store!

Bipasha Basu had panic attack, fled filming of “Omkara”

Bollywood actor symbol Bipasha Basu says she doesn”t get rattled easily. But a bunch of unkempt, lewd men did the trick when shooting dance sequences for the recently released movie “Omkara.”” The Bollywood beauty told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper in an interview published on Monday that she ran away from the stage and only returned when she was told the men were actors who had dressed down for a role in the audience. Bombay, the hub of India’s entertainment world, is also called Mumbai. “I saw the crowd and I had a panic attack and ran away. I had never seen so many unshaven, unkempt, unbathed and lecherous men in a crowded sweaty place,”” Basu was quoted as saying. “I got really scared. And for the record, I”m not easy to scare.”” Basu plays a dancer and featured in two raunchy songs in the movie based on Shakespeare’s “Othello.”” The film opened last week. The movie also stars well-known Bollywood actors Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. Basu has starred in more than 22 movies since she entered the movie industry five years ago. Her recent hit films include “Corporate,”” “No Entry”” and “Phir Hera Pheri,”” or “Some More Hustling.””