Quotes from Bipasha Basu

I would never put on 20 kilos and mess up my system because a role demands it. Hindi cinema doesn't offer you roles that get you an Oscar, anyway. Tom Hanks can do it in Hollywood; not us.

For the longest time, Indian women have been okay with being curvy. But I think the modern Indian woman needs to get toned. I don't endorse being thin. Anorexia and bulimia are a reality in India because everybody wants to be thin.

I know I look good. The regular adjectives that come my way - sexy, hot, dusky, bong bombshell I love them.

You can't decide whom to fall in love with. It just happens.

I don't think I've done any profound work yet... People ask me, 'How would you want to be remembered?' I tell them I don't want to be remembered! I'm not here to become a Madhubala or receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. I'm not that kind of a person. And I'm not brash about it; it's just the way I am.

I'm active even on bad days; it's tough to pin me down. People ask me if I'm a morning or night person. I'm an all-the-time person. I like drinking coffee, but I do it with lots of milk because my energy levels are high even without caffeine. You could call me Obelix, except I don't have a belly.

I have blind trust in people. Even if that ends up hurting me, I won't change. I will go on trusting people because that's the only way I know to love someone.

I do a film if it interests me, has a connect with the audience and some entertainment value. The rest doesn't matter.

I have always believed that if you need to take your clothes off to get your man, you've begun to lose the battle. If you pull it off right, you can do it in a very classy way... Being sexy is about suggestion; it's about the tease. It's not about being obvious and forcing yourself out in the open. That takes all the fun out of being a woman.

It was Vikram Bhatt and 'Raaz' that got me interested in the medium of cinema. Before that, I was like any other youngster dabbling with various things - modelling, films - without a definite direction or focus. Now that I'm working with all of them, life has come full circle for me.

In India, we kind of concentrate only on weight loss. I want to teach people that it is very important to be strong and fit, rather than just thin.

I was a lady gunda in school. Everyone was scared of me, and I was really short and round.

I enjoy the TV series 'Dexter,' where there's a reason for every kill. Quentin Tarantino is a favourite, and a 'Kill Bill' action-packed movie would be up my street. I'd love to be India's first scream queen!

For me, modelling has been an advantage because if I hadn't been modelling, I would never have been spotted as an actress. I didn't have any intention of becoming an actress.

I'm really bad at taking compliments, but whenever I get them, I tell myself, 'Way to go, girl' and move on.

I am a positive person. I am not cynical. If you are born in this world, no matter who you are, negative things will happen. If you aren't positive as a person, you'll be very unhappy. It's extremely important to be positive, to laugh, to be happy, to accept life as it comes.

Films with female protagonists don't attract many eyeballs. Most of them are perceived as feminist films. If Bollywood starts giving women major roles in entertaining movies, then the audience, too, will open up to the idea of watching commercial films in which the actresses do more than just play the role of the hero's love interest.

I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also entertaining, but I don't feel bad about it. I'm a proud woman.

Yes, exes can be good friends, but after a certain time. Though no break-up is a good break-up, time heals everything, including broken friendships. It also depends on the kind of people they are, their mindsets and the reasons for the break ups.

Unless I work with Shah Rukh my career cannot be complete. I can't hang my boots till that happens.

Any relationship should have love, and if there is no love, it is better to call off a relationship. People say that love happens only once, but I don't believe in it because for me, if one relationship doesn't work, you should move on and seek love in another relationship. Who knows; you might find love in the second relationship.

As a child, I was a brat, and my parents didn't know how to control me. So they told me ghost stories, which stayed with me. I am still petrified of darkness and being alone.

I believe everything negative that happens in your life is for a positive reason. If your heart breaks, you know that you are a human being and it happens. But you can't mope over it. There's only one life. You better get on ahead and fast. Fast enough not to let your past ever catch up with you.