When I meet her for this interview at Yashraj Studios, Bipasha Basu tells me that she is more than happy with the fact that since the time that she had made her debut in Bollywood with Abbas-Mustan's Ajnabee, she has made rapid strides as an actress in the last eight years and carved for herself a niche in the industry.

"It has been a learning process for me from Ajnabee till my latest release- Bachna Ae Haseena. I have learnt everything on the job slowly and steadily unlike then new comers today who come prepared even with their first film."

Bipasha confesses that she has matured with time and become more responsible, as an actress. "I am glad I could live to see a film of mine celebrating its golden jubilee like my second film after Ajnabee- Raaz did.

I am not bragging about it but genuinely I feel sad that today it is not possible for any actor, including John Abraham to celebrate the jubilee of his or her film, since a stage has come when a film has got to recover its cost in the first three days of its release with films having become a big business with the mushrooming of the multiplexes."

Bipasha admits that she enjoyed working with Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Ae Haseena.

"I had a fabulous time playing the character of the Shiamak Davar dancer Radhika in Bachna Ae Haseena" Bipasha recalls the fact that while doing a dance number for the film, she even had a tear in her meniscus but continued to perform after a physiotherapist was brought to the sets and kept on stand by to attend to her.

According to her, the choreographer Ahmed Khan manipulated the steps in such a way that the weight was there only on the left leg and the best thing was that when she saw the film, it looked like she was not at all in pain when executing her steps.

Bipasha is angry when you ask her how comfortable is it to be pitted with a young guys like Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Ae Haseena and Neil Mukesh in Freeze, who are younger than her.

"Why is an actress who has not even touched 30 labelled as a senior actress just because she is cast opposite new actors like Ranbir and Neil, who are younger to me just by two to three years?

Aishwarya Rai has married Abhishek Bachchan who is three years younger to her but has it in any way changed their relationship"?

Bipasha feels that it is unfair that there is an anti lobby for a woman when she is cast opposite a younger actor even though she does not sport wrinkles.

"Why is it that no one has any objection when an actor like Nana Patekar or for that matter Anil Kapoor is cast opposite actresses who are half their age? There was no hue and cry raised when Akshay Khanna was teamed in Dil Chahta Hai opposite Dimple who is senior to him by 25 years

. It is indeed high time that women are given a break."

Bipasha feels that she has not been given her due as an actor though she had given an award winning performance in Corporate because of limitations.

"There are many reasons why I am not offered good films. I do not belong to any particular camp like some other actresses. It is well known fact that I have a boy friend who I do not hide in my closet.

All said and done, we should not forget the fact that it is a hero oriented film industry and I cannot ask for more than what I being offered."

Bipasha is now getting opportunities to prove her mettle as an actress. Among the films that she has up her sleeves are Freeze directed by Jehangir Surti and Pankh directed by Sudipto Gupta.

While Freeze in which she has been teamed opposite Neil Mukesh is a romantic thriller, Pankh is a psychological thriller which deals with the psyche of a young boy who has to play a girl child because of his mum's pressure.

I play this interesting imaginary character of a woman who guides him through his turmoil."

Bipasha is frank enough to admit that she could identify a lot with the character of Radhika which she had essayed in Bachna Ae Haseena, because Radhika is a contemporary young independent young woman like Bipasha is.

"Your first love can end in marriage if you are lucky. Also you can fall in love any number of times till you end up meeting your ideal soul mate. It is all a question of your luck."

Bipasha does not mind admitting that love is her top priority in life even though she is a career woman. "What would you do in life if you are busy 24/7 with only your work and have no one to share your life?

However, in case you want to know when I am planning top plunge into marriage with John, let me confess that as of now there are no marriage plans for us though we do not hide the fact that we are seeing each other and are in love.

What I like the best about John and myself is that both of us do not carry the baggage of being stars. We are like-minded soul mates who do not like to hide behind sunglasses."