Lamenting that ambitious women were often misunderstood while the same trait was appreciated in a man, Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu said she had a greater understanding of the working women in India through her role in a latest film as a high flying executive, carving a niche in corporate India.

"It is very sad that an ambitious woman is looked down upon, while if a man is seen to be ambitious, it is appreciated. We can never accept that a woman can come up in life purely on her talent," said Basu in an interview.

"I come from a family where there was no son, and all three sisters were encouraged to go out on their own. That is why I do not understand this attitude where after a girl turns 25, alarm bells start going off and she gets married and has kids, no matter how well her career is poised," she said.

Bipasha, known for her steamy roles and glamorous image, has however, donned a totally different look for her role in Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate, and believes that glamour cannot be dependent on clothes and looks.

"I see some heroines, who keep saying that their roles are glamorous, and think its so cheesy. Glamour doesn't depend on what you wear or what you don't wear and how much make up you put on. It's an attitude that you have," she said.

Bipasha, who is part of an ensemble cast of 45 characters, said it was a challenge to work in a role that has been different from most of the other roles that she has played so far, but admits that she did not do any research on the character.

"I just played it according to my perception of what a woman working in the corporate world would be like, and Madhur my designer Rocky S and I conceived the role together," she adds.

Bipasha is also all praise for her director Madhur Bhandarkar, who has already directed two national award-winning films - Chandni Bar and Page 3 saying he is one of the few directors who can make a film about women's sensibilities.

"I really like men who can think and visualise how a woman's sensibilities can work in a given situation and Madhur has proved that he can do that time and again. I loved working with him," said the actress, who was initially the second choice for the role and came on board after Aishwarya Rai turned it down.

The Bengali beauty is also looking forward to her next few releases, including Vishal Bharadwaj's interpretation of Othello, titled Omkara in which she plays the role of Billo, based on the character of Bianca in the play.

"Vishal has adapted Othello so beautifully in the Indian context and I have really enjoyed working on it. I also have Abbas-Mustan's next film with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan and also Dhoom 2," she adds.