When Bipasha Basu agreed to star in Jism in 2003, she knew the film could become a major turning point in her career. The actress has now recalled that several people from the film industry advised her not to take up the project because of its erotic elements and bold subject. They reportedly feared that appearing in such a film could negatively affect her career. However, Bipasha decided to trust her own judgement and went ahead with the film.
In a recent conversation with Elle India, Bipasha spoke about the warnings she received before signing Jism. “Everybody in the business told me, ‘Do not do this film.’ They said I would be finished if I did something which had a little bit of erotica,” she said. The actress, however, did not see the film in the same way. For her, Jism was an adult love story and she felt comfortable with the subject and the kind of role she was taking on.
“And my take was that I’m an adult. It’s an adult love story. It is made as an adult film. It is not for the kids,” she said, explaining that she knew what she was signing up for. Her decision was also influenced by the character she was playing. Bipasha said that she enjoyed the different shades of Sonia and felt strongly that she wanted to portray the role.
“I really enjoyed the shades of Sonia in that film, and I just knew that I had to do it,” she said.
Released in 2003, Jism came at an important stage in Bipasha’s early career. She had already appeared in films such as Ajnabee and Raaz. Directed by Amit Saxena and written by Mahesh Bhatt, the erotic thriller featured Bipasha as Sonia Khanna, a woman involved in a complicated relationship with Kabir Lal, played by John Abraham in his film debut. Gulshan Grover played Sonia’s wealthy husband, Rohit Khanna.
The risk paid off
The concerns about Jism affecting Bipasha’s career did not come true. Instead, the film became a hit and added another important title to her early filmography. According to Box Office India, Jism earned a reported India net of Rs 8.14 crore and a worldwide gross of about Rs 13.41 crore.
