Meet Diana Hayden, the newest puritan in town. A mere mention of nudity turns her into a prudish lass, illustrating all that is wrong with Indian Cinema today and how it needs to be changed from stem to stern.
She doesn't find Mallika and her ilk the real culprit for the damage, she traces its root to be much deeper. According to Diana, it runs to Bipasha Basu, who stated it all in her erotic-thriller 'Jism'.
"The film was based on the physical relations between man and a woman. The way Bipasha exposed on screen and the way she and John Abraham copulated, let alone others, I myself think that anyone with a good family background and good upbringing would not have done it," insists Hayden.
"I belong to a very traditional family and have been brought up with moral values. I would not be allowed to portray a character like the one Bipasha played in 'Jism'," she adds.
It is widely known that, initially, Bhatt camp beckoned Hayden to play the lead role but she declined, given the too much exposure that was needed for the film.
"I decided not to accept the offer even at Mr. Bhatt's request because I knew the kind of role it was and the amount of exposure it would require. It was then that he turned to Bipasha. Even today, I will not expose the way Bipasha has done, come what may," she says.
Is Bipasha fuming? Hear for yourself.
"The success of 'Jism' hasn't gone down well with a lot of people. Such comments are therefore natural. I don't care who says what. The film received wide acclaim and I am very happy I did it," claims clearly unfazed Basu.
Very soon the dusky Anglo-Indian beauty will be seen in Rajesh Singh's 'Ab Bas', which deals with the adultery itself. But Diana is quick to clear her stand on the film and declares, "It's true there's an extra-marital affair, but my character in the film has nothing to do with it."
"I portray a woman with strong values who is quite unlike the stereotype of nymphomaniacs in the glamour business. It's not a 'sexy' film as the rumours might suggest, and has a strong social message."
