Bipasha Basu has been in the business for 14 years and one thing she cannot be accused of is being commitment-phobic, as she has had one of the longest relationships with John Abraham. Of course, her sex appeal and her dark Bengali stunning looks ensure that she is always in the news due to her speculated relationships. But I could certainly say that Bipasha is one of the most honest, forthright and affectionate human beings one meets and this time, to my pleasant surprise, I also found her very relaxed and happy.

We had not met for over a year and I decided to ask her on all that I had heard to get it straight from her, as I knew that it would be honest for sure. Over an hour-long session over lunch, we talked about her upcoming horror love story 'Alone', her reasons for break-up with Harman Baweja and whether she is dating Karan Singh Grover. Excerpts:

Have you and Harman split up for good?
Yes we have and it's just unfortunate. Sometimes between two people it is not necessarily just meant to be. People always ask me why we split up, given that we are both such good human beings and were so good together and that we looked like a perfect match. But I feel and can just say that if it is a perfect match, it will last. In any relationship, what happens between two people, only those two people know the exact truth and honestly, they should be answerable to only each other. But I can say that Harman is a great guy and a wonderful human being. I consider myself too a wonderful human being and can tell you that when I am in a relationship, I am extremely committed. I have matured from my past and I have realised that your core happiness drives a relationship. You need to be happy in every possible way. If you are not happy, then you can't keep the other person happy. And it's important for that realisation to happen at the right time. Both of us saw that. Everyone is born with their own struggles.

I have never attached myself or been in love with a person for who they are or how much success they have achieved. That has never been the barometer for me. I have explained this to my family also and they understand what kind of a girl I am. For me, it is an emotional, physical and mental connect and these three things have to remain connected. The financial bit does not trouble me ever. What Harman's personal struggle is, is his and mine is mine. I have not met him for a long time. But I wish him all the best and hope to be friends with him in the future. Dino Morea and me did not speak for two years after breaking up, but for the past 12 years, we have now been friends. Harman and I have great respect for each other's families and no one has harmed no one. So I look forward to being friends with Harman in the future.

It was being suggested that you and Harman broke up due to your closeness with your Alone co-star Karan Singh Grover. Are you dating Karan? I have never hidden my relationships. Give me time to understand my life and whenever I have understood it, I have spoken about it. And No, I am not dating Karan. This is easy gossip and conversations. The fact is that two people can stay in a relationship or break up, only based on the two people involved. It can never be because of a third. The third will always come in if there is a problem with the two. That's how I look at relationships. So the third person is inconsequential between the two people. Karan and I get along like a house on fire. We have great onscreen chemistry and great comfort together. And over the course of time, the way I came to know my director Bhushan Patel is the way I came to know Karan. Even when we had started the film, we knew about Karan's personal problems. What I like about him is that he is very unpretentious.

Usually, everybody comes here to impress you. This guy comes with the way he is. That's what I like about him as a human being. I could say that Karan is a friend and I hang out with him as there is something similar between him and me. He too is honest, simple and forthright and has a great sense of humour. He believes in giving affection to people and I like affectionate people. He does things like if Bhushan wanted coffee or ice cream, he would get ice cream for the whole unit. Once our stylist's assistant wanted donuts and the next day, Karan got them for not just her, but the whole unit. And that shows his big heart. Sometimes he says stupid things and gets into trouble, but that's him.

Your next film Nia directed by Vikram Phadnis has you paired with Rana Daggubati. Were you ever dating Rana?
During the making of 'Dum Maaro Dum', there were lot of speculations but I was seeing John at that time and no, I was not dating him. We hang out together a lot and have the same friends circle. But I went for his birthday party and now, we are doing a film together, so such speculations will start again. But I am not going to change my life for that. When I am into something, I will take the responsibility for it. When I am not, you can say what you want to, as it won't affect me.

Does marriage figure in your life?
Without a man, what marriage? My mom has given up on me. But she also knows that ultimately you want your child to be happy. Honestly, I don't see marriage as the only thing that will give me that sense of completion. Yes, may be if I am crazily in love with someone and he is equally in love with me and you find your soulmate and you feel this is it. But only if I sense that ever, will marriage be a destination for me.

You actually look really happy, relaxed and fresh. Is that true?
Yes that's the way I am feeling right now. Saif Ali Khan met me in the gym yesterday and said, 'Bipasha you look new. You look fresh.' I said, 'Yes, I do feel like that.'

Someone commented that Bipasha is going to replace the word 'horror' in the Oxford dictionary. That's a compliment. Did horror films happen by design for you?
The genre is giving me good credibility and roles in terms of films, so why not? Nothing was ever planned. 'Raaz 3' happened and then 'Aatma' happened and then immediately after that, 'Alone'. 'Humshakals' that was meant to be a comedy was in the middle before 'Alone', but that also turned out to be a horror film that I didn't even know was horror. The story of 'Alone' was so stunning and the role was so great. Thankfully, everything has fallen in place and working on this film has been one of my nicest experiences.

What made it such a good experience?
Besides the script and working with the producer Kumar Mangatji, with who I go a long way, I remember calling Tanuja, my manager, on the second day of the shoot and telling her what a fine director Bhushan Patel was. He was really clear from his lighting to shot taking. And the best part was that we got along so well on the set. It was non-stop fun on the set. Bhushan, Karan and I became a trio and we almost never went to our vanity vans as we hung out together all the time.


You tweeted just a day before the release of 'Humshakals' that was not taken kindly by your producers. What really went wrong?
I had so many journalists calling me that I tweeted. There was no thought process in my brain. I felt the need to and I did. Vashu Bhagnaniji felt bad, but later he understood my point of view. I really respect Vashuji and Fox Star studios, with whom I share a great equation. Vashuji is a darling and Jackky, a dear dear friend who is like family. The intention was never to pull a film down that was produced by them. But I did not know anything about the film that I was going to promote. I had been told that I should trust the director and that my role would be good. But when I went to dub for it, my scenes were like 6 minutes throughout the entire film, so I didn't know what to promote. I didn't want to get the boys' role, but a role that you would remember. I have been a part of many multi-starrers, be it 'Race' or 'No Entry', but each one had an interesting role. I didn't want length, but quality. I have learnt my lesson and will never repeat it. I knew that while I was not being understood that time, with time, the song would change and it did change with the release of the film.