by Subhash K Jha

Bipasha Basu says that any film with John will have to go beyond Jism. "It will have to be with a posh director.We really want to do a film together. But only when a director projects us well."

She has just done a shampoo ad with John. "We were both sitting on the bed when we got individual offers to do the same ad. We heard each other mentioning the same location and dates.

Only then did we know that we were shooting together. It's very cute ad film. People will like to see us doing something nice and stylish together.

I've been offered loads of money to endorse stuff like paan masala. But we won't do anything that doesn't agree with our temperament."

Her career too is rocking. "Corporate was a very exciting role. I sat down with Madhur Bhandarkar and got into the intricacies of my character.

I know how Madhur treats his female protagonists. I know the audience likes to see me as a glamorous actress with a bit of acting thrown in. Corporate was be a great challenge for me."

In Apharan Bipasha teamed up with Prakash Jha. "It was not an offbeat film. This was a realistic commercial film. Being real came naturally to me. I'm a very real person.

Styling takes care of most of the realism. Put me in a sari tie a choti and I become a small-town girl. On the other hand I did Dhoom 2 which is a youthful fun film.

I had a blast working with Abhishek, Uday Chopra and director Sanjay Gadhvi. And I worked with Ash and Hrithik. He's very funny. So it was be a lot of fun."

With Barsaat and No Entry doing well Bipasha is secure in her status as a saleable star. "I was afraid because they came on two consecutive Fridays. But neither film had disappointed me.

Barsaat was targeted at a particular audience and it worked. No Entry was an out-and-out hit. I had never done comedy before. I've got a great mix of family films.

I feel I've come back in a different form. I want to work with Karan Johar, Kunal Kohli and Mani Rathnam. And I'm not scared to ask them for work." Bipasha is tired of the oomphy image. "They slot you with other actresses who are a couple of films old without knowing the kind of work you've done.

I don't belong in the cheesy bracket. I'm too confident and dignified for that. I've never stopped being classy. I can't be crass on screen. Jism needed me to be sensuous and I'm proud of it especially since it was my first film with John.

But I didn't want to repeat myself. I want to do massy films like Barsaat. I started off playing women. Now I'm playing girls. I'm enjoying it."

She's kicked by the ongoing discussion on her re-structured body. "Yes, I'm into healthy living. And that isn't just about looking good. It's about giving more of yourself to your health and work.

Everyone seems to be discussing my physique. Other people lose weight. But never with such fanfare. Weight loss has made me look younger.

I'm pretty happy with my health career and personal life. The career is definitely important. I'm very clear about what I wanted. My plans have come true."

Coming back to Corporate Bipasha says, "My other films too had me in central roles. But in-between I needed to create my niche in multi-starrers. I gave Corporate my 2000 percent. Everyone wanted to see what Madhur will do with me.

I don't think the film rested only on my shoulders—other characters too were important. But the film showed that I can really perform. So far my best performances were in smaller films which weren't always marketed properly."

She crosses her fingers. "I hope it gets better. I'm a brutally honest person. If you ask me when I'll get married, I'll say 4-5 years from now. Producers have nothing to fear until then. If I stop now I won't be happy.

After that I'll continue to be associated with the film industry in some capacity ...but not as an actress. In any case marriage is only a legal document.

John and I are very happy together. We've our occasional differences. Neither of is willing to bend in our opinion. We've our individual tastes and we respect it. We both need our space. John knows I don't take calls while I shoot. "

Bipasha is ready to take the flak. "Some will like me, some won't. For every Amisha Patel, there's a Rani Mukherjee. I'd rather focus on Rani."

Rumours about John's affairs don't affect Bipasha. "That's just PR for impending films. I mean me and Esha Deol scuffling over John was the most ridiculous story I've heard. Before Esha they talked about Lara, Tara and Udita.

What a man I'm with, wow! I get a lot of male attention just as he gets lots of female attention. That's great in our business. I know John is immensely popular. Kids and boys idolize him. If women wouldn't be crazy over him then something is wrong with him.

John has seen the kind of male adulation I get. The more famous he gets the more attention he'll get. Let him become a Shah Rukh Khan and then do such stories on him. Fortunately all these scandals are forgotten in three days. I'm intelligent enough to not get upset over such things.

I've gone through all this since I was amodel. I'm not insecure about my relationship and work. And I don't have vices. John is not a vice. And he's definitely not the vice president of this relationship. I am," her laughter goes all the way to the gym.

"John wears the pants in our relationship. That's good because I can be really stubborn at times."