“Josh Harnett loves India” – Bipasha Basu

By Subhash K. Jha -

April 23, 2011 - 10:42 AM IST

Bipasha Basu has just returned from Orccha in Madhya Pradesh where she was shooting Roland Joffe's Singularity with Josh Harnett and Abhay Deol. She brightens up at their mention. "Rana Daggubatti, Josh, Abhay...at last I am shooting with tall co-stars. Josh is really tall...6 feet 3 Â½ inches. I end up looking very small in front of him."

She's immensely impressed and influenced by Joffe's unit's affinity to India and Indian culture. "I feel I am less Indian than they are. I had never been to Orccha. If it wasn't for this film, I'd have missed one of the most beautiful spots in our country."

When she reached Orchha, Bipasha couldn't stop complaining about the mosquitoes and lack of amenities. "But the foreign unit just blended in. They loved the place, the food ...everything. I soon fell in line."

Bipasha Basu didn't know how to hold a sword, let alone wield one when she reached Orchha in Madhya Pradesh to shoot for Roland Joffe's Singularity.

"There was no time. I learnt to use the sword on the job. And now I feel I've been doing it for all my life."

Says Bipasha, "80 percent of Singularity will be shot in Orchha. And the remaining in London in current times. The film is located in two time zones - 18th century India and present day England. I don't figure in the contemporary portion."

So while Josh leaves for London after the Orccha schedule, Bipasha heads for Russia.

Bipasha was not in Mumbai for the release of her much talked-about Dum Maaro Dum (DMD).Talked about ...for all the wrong reasons. First there were the stories about her being miffed with Deepika Padukone. Then there was link-up with her DMD co-star Rana Daggubati.

Said Bipasha, "I've done whatever I could for Dum Maaro Dum. I'm here in Orchha. Then after returning to Mumbai, I immediately fly to Russia for Abbas-Mustan's Players."

Incidentally, the deep connection with Abhishek Bachchan is clearly a delight for Bipasha. He is one man she doesn't mind talking about. "Abhishek is in DMD and Players. And the last unit that shot in Orccha before us was Abhishek's Raavan. Do you know, Singularity is the first period film that I am shooting? But Abhishek and I were supposed to start our careers together with a period film (J.P Dutta's Aakhri Mughal)."

Bipasha Basu is still smarting under the blow that the disappearance of her phone delivered on her self-confidence.

Days after incident she tries hard to not to sound shaken about it. "I don't know who played a prank...or can it really be called a prank since twisted messages were sent from my missing phone to my friends and to the media. The instrument re-surfaced just as mysteriously as it had vanished. Though I am calling it a prank I am not amused."

Bipasha has decided to keep her phone in the safe-custody of her business manager. "I am not much of a phone person. And this incident has made me even less enamoured of my phone. I'd rather do without something that poses a potential threat to my peace of mind."