You are working with many newcomers, including Karan Singh Grover and Imran Abbas. Why so? I never look at casting and am totally okay with working with whoever the producer-director thinks is right for a role. But I'm very happy that Karan is my co-star in Alone because we've been getting terrific feedback from fans for the songs and the trailer.

Talk about your sizzling onscreen chemistry with him.
The film is a passionate love story and I knew that whoever the actor is, we would have to be shown madly in love. It was part of the job, but it certainly helped that we formed a strong friendship and got along exceedingly well.

After a string of horror films, what scripts are you looking for?
I am never looking for a script or a genre. After Creature, I didn't want to do another supernatural film. But when I heard the script of Alone, I couldn't say no to it.

How did you develop the nickname 'Blong' (Bengali blonde)?
(Laughs) I use my brain judiciously and only when I am working. The rest of the time and when I'm in the company of friends, I'm happy to play the blonde and be as flighty as they come. So, Bhushan, the director of Alone, coined Blong.

Is the hunt for a soulmate on?
Yes, and I will go on till I find 'the one'. Till then, I'm happy to chalk up everything to experience.

Will you judge a reality show?
Sure. I love entertainment and love to watch all talent shows. It takes a lot for people from all walks of life to come together and put their talent forth. I would be a fair judge.

What's your take on South Indian films being remade in Hindi?
If the film's good, then what is the problem. They should do some remakes of Bengali films as well because there so many good movies there. We remake Korean and English films, then why not regional films?

Will you work in a Bengali film?
I am keen to work with Srijit Mukherji. He'd offered me his last film but it didn't work out. I'm looking forward to working with him.

Actors are now singing in movies.Would you do that?
No, I'll sound like a frog. Very often, when I'm staying in a hotel during shoots abroad and call up the room service, they say, 'Yes Mr Basu...'

Your item song Beedi Jalaile was such a hit. Do we see you doing something similar anytime soon?
I would love to do something like that. Many offers have come but didn't work out due to logistical reasons. I wouldn't mind doing one, though.

Any fitness fundas and beauty tips you'd like to share?
I'm a believer of  'Love Yourself '. Everyone should invest in their health. We find excuses to get out of that. I tell people that to lose weight and look good, you have to give it time. You need to devote an hour every day to do something active.

Any message for your Follo'ers?
I'm grateful for the love I receive from my fans. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been here for this long. I love my profession. It gives me the platform to talk about so many things.

Bhushan Patel, 48, is extremely emotional, driven and impulsive. He is impatient and has a bad temper, but will do anything for his work. He may have got into horror by default, but the three films he has directed so far have been horror films, be it 1920: Evil Returns, Ragini MMS 2 or the upcoming romantic story Alone, which he believes is twice as scary as his earlier two films put together. Over a cup of coffee, he talks to Bombay Times about his mentor and best friend Vikram Bhatt, the extremely honest Bipasha Basu and why his father is still alive in his head. Excerpts:

How come you have come into the industry so late?
I have not come into the industry late. I am a Gujarati and my dad was a cameraman, who worked for a German TV channel based in Delhi, till he moved to Mumbai in 1975. I joined Jamnabai Narsee School and lived at Ville Parle next to Vikram Bhatt, who was three years younger to me. We were not only neighbours, but are also best friends from then. We would go to school together on a cycle, with me sitting at the back. I always had cameras at home and was always interested in photography. And after completing my graduation, I started assisting Vikram's father, Pravin uncle (Pravin Bhatt) at 20. Pravin uncle was one of the most celebrated cameramen, who had done films like Umrao Jaan and many of Bhatt sahab's films, apart from Agneepath and Hum. Bhatt sahab saw me and said, 'Mr, you should be in front of camera and not behind it. So I did small roles in four films, two of Bhatt sahab's and two of Vikram's. In the meantime, I got married to Simkie, my childhood friend from Class VIII in school. She was the daughter of my music teacher. But when I was 23, he fell seriously ill and wanted his daughter married before he died. So I didn't have too much time to struggle as an actor. Also, Vikram sat me down and told me how he felt I was a better cameraman than an actor and I then did my first film as a DOP, Gunehgar, with him. I then shot seven films as a cinematographer with Bhatt sahab and Vikram. But then after Kartoos, Bhatt sahab took a sabbatical and Vikram started working with his father, so I went on to becoming a cameraman on TV and subsequently, directed TV serials. I always say that while films gave me my fan, television gave me my AC. One of my path-breaking shows on TV was called Amber Dhara that, coincidentally, was also about conjoined twins. TV burns you out and there were many times when I felt disheartened, as while I was doing TV, I always wanted to get back to films. But like they say, you don't get anything before it is destined. Then Vikram became a producer and I can't forget the time when I was driving back home after meeting him and he called me to ask me if I would want to direct 1920: Evil Returns.

Talk about working with Mahesh Bhatt?
Everything I have learnt is from either Bhatt sahab or Vikram. The core thing I learnt from him is man management. How to keep the unit on your side, how to deal with people, how to direct an actor, what to talk to an actor. Direction is all abut talking to people and talking to the right person to make your vision come alive. So it's what you say to each person to get your point across. I learnt how to let go and how to let people be and how not to direct people. Bhatt sahab always says, 'Main acting daal nahi sakta, main acting nikaal sakta hoon.' I learnt that as a director that I can't put acting into an actor, but I need to get it out of him. Just like he has a UG Krishnamurti in his life, I always say that he is my UG. I went abroad on my first outdoor with him in London and even though I was just a camera assistant, I have shared the room with him, as he was probably fond of me and wanted me to be around. I used to stick to him like a leech and I love him from the bottom of my heart. And I still am very close to him, even though I don't speak to him so often. Whatever he has said to me is all inside my head.

Both Bipasha and Karan talked about how close they felt to you.
The three of us really came very close and I can call Bipasha a close friend now. She would tell me that I reminded her of Vikram. She is also very close to him and she feels he is one of the main reasons why she is still in the industry. Many people say Vicky (Vikram) and me are very alike, be it the way I speak or direct or even the way I say 'action' or 'cut'. We worked together with Bhatt sahab, where he was his assistant and I, his DOP. Vicky is a very close friend and is a man with a heart of gold. He is very understanding and caring. He is an anchor and even though he is younger to me, I call him my friend, philosopher and guide. He is my mentor and he gave me my first film, inspite of me having had so many other friends in the industry. He is always there for me and is less than a phone call away. Bipasha is a pleasure to work with. She is what she is on her face. What she will tell you on your face is what she will tell someone else about you in your absence. There are no two sides to Bipasha Basu. She means what she says. She lets you know how she feels. If she is angry with you, she is like a soda bottle whose fizz comes out there and then. I too am like that. I was in TV and I always felt that Karan had a star-like quality in him. I would secretly always grudge a person, who would launch him in the future. I guess I wanted him bad enough. He is a wonderful actor and is a star waiting to explode.

You have worked with two of the hottest women in India, Bipasha Basu and Sunny Leone.
Even after shooting the same number of days with the both of them, I can confidently say that I know Bipasha, but I don't know Sunny at all. Sunny is very professional and even though she was a pleasure to work with, there is this constant double wall around her.

Who do you love the most in the world?
My father. I always looked upto him and always wanted to be like him, ever since I was a child. I lost him ten years back to Alzheimer's, but I honestly can't get over the fact that he is no longer alive. I was always a papa's boy and still am. He wanted to always work with me and that is one of my biggest regrets that I could not make him work with me. I didn't have the opportunity then. I wish he was alive now, he could have shot all my films. He saw me as a DOP, but never as a director. He was the only one who was so sure that I would do something in my life, even though I never studied and was the black sheep in my family. I regret not being able to spend enough time with him. There is a time in your life when you grow up and you are prepared for one of your parents to die and I, strangely, thought that my father would outlive my mother. Honest to God, I still feel that he lives in Delhi. I had gone to Delhi to promote the film and I still felt that if I went to Sunder Nagar, where my dad's office was, he would be there. I still have not allowed myself to cry. I still talk to him and still do meet my father in my head.

Do you believe in God?
Yes. I believe in ghosts, so I believe in God.

What makes you believe in ghosts?
If you are making a romantic story, you need to know the emotion of love. I have felt fear. I can feel fear. As a child, I would wake up in the middle of the night crying and my mom would give me some lohe ka thing to calm me down. I have not had any paranormal experiences myself, but I had a friend in college, who was possessed and would speak like a girl. Once, when I was four years old, I fell very ill. It was on the night of my fourth birthday party. I started throwing up, had loose motions and in the middle of the night, my mother had to take me to AIIMS, as I had 109 degrees temperature and the doctors told her that she could see me for the last time. My dad was travelling.

I still remember some people dressed as nurses and doctors came to get me and after that, I was made to sleep naked on a slab of ice. My father returned the next morning and miraculously, I became okay within three days. My father had got me a crazy ball and I remember playing with it. Due to the high fever, the doctors said that I would either lose my sight or some thing would impact me. But when I went back to AIIMS after 15 days, I was totally fine and the doctors found it to be a miracle. I had touched death that time and come back. I still get scared remembering that. I feel that a brave person is not someone who does not get scared, but someone who overcomes his fears. I learnt to control my fear. I can experience the supernatural and therefore, I can show it on screen. I would love to see ghosts and while I have gone to graveyards looking for them, I have not seen one, so far.

Success has come to you late. Did that impact you?
Yes, because I got things late in life, I used to be a very negative person at one point in time. I would call a glass half empty than full. It also led to being bad tempered and angry. I am breathing better now. My favourite line was Roald Dahl's negative line - My room is full of things I don't have. But today, I am positive. I wake up every morning with the thought that something good is going to happen. I changed from the time Vikram gave me my first film. I now know that my good time has started.

Karan Singh Grover, 32, may not own up to being emotional easily, but he loves going to the gym and being in the water. He is honest and unpretentious and loves to sing and write, apart from doodling. After moving 20 houses over just 10 years in Mumbai and getting over with two marriages, this extremely impulsive but affectionate rebel has come to realise that he needs to put more thought before his actions. Ahead of his debut sex horror love story Alone, he talks to Bombay Times about his love for his mother, his self-destructive nature and his decision to stay away from relationships for now. Excerpts:

Are you dating Bipasha Basu?
No, I am not. Our chemistry is awesome, right? I used to tell everyone on the set that I cannot imagine that you guys are paying me to do this. We are shooting at beautiful locations and I am shooting with this really, really hot woman and she is in my arms all the time and I am getting paid for it. I mean, I love my life.

What is Bipasha like?
She is more than a friend as she is also an inspiration. She is so disciplined, be it for her coming on time or her workout schedule or her habit of always eating right. She is also quite wacked out and is very funny and you now know, absolutely blind. I initially thought that she had a bad memory, so every day on the set, I would go really close to her and say, 'Hi. I am Karan. I am working with you. But only later, I found out that she can't see people from a distance. She only recognises forms. She is a very positive person, who makes people very comfortable around her. She has only nice things to say about other people. Very few people are like that. She is very genuine. I wish she would completely stop using makeup as she has really nice skin and looks even nicer without makeup.

Let's talk about your growing up years?
I am originally a surd who was born in Delhi in 1982, just two years before the Sikh riots, so all my childhood pictures are in baby frocks with ponytails as my parents wanted to hide the fact that I was a Sikh boy, given the riots. My dad worked for a travel agency and we soon moved to Saudi Arabia. There are co-ed schools in Saudi, but those are American or British. My dad, of course, believed in the good old CBSE Indian school system and thus, my younger brother Ishmeet and I were put in an all boys CBSE school. My mother could move out only if she wore a burkha. Both me and Ishmeet were very naughty. We used to have my grandfather's swords in the house. We used to take all these swords and take all the showpieces mom had and slice them one by one. He actually locked my nana in the kitchen once for two hours. While I am naughty in the face, he is a chhupa rustam. He would do something and say, 'Mom, aapko toh pata hai na ki Karan kitna kutta hai, ussi ne kiya hoga sab kuch.' I was going to get beaten up for something anyway, so I would happily take his share of the beating too. It was only when we came into XIth grade could we speak to the girls on the phone, but you could never meet them. If you were with a girl, who was not related to you and a religious priest caught you, you were straight put in jail. There was no why or who asked. On one of our trips back to India, we were in Goa. I was in Class IX and on one of the magazines, I saw Bipasha in a bikini. I remember saying, 'Ooohhhh! She is the hottest girl in the world.' Saudi had been a very restricted place. Even on the magazines there, if there was a little leg or cleavage showing, they used to blacken it with a black mark. Me and Ishmeet, so many times, had tried to remove the black portion with our spit, but of course, it would never come out.

How did you become a TV actor?
I completed my Hospitality and Hotel Administration course from Dadar in 2003. I wanted to be in the glamour industry, but my dad always told me, 'There is always a Plan A and a Plan B to fall back on in life. Finish your education, get a year's work experience in the field that you have studied in and then, you do what you want to.' So after finishing college, I worked as a banquet executive in Muscat Sheraton, after which I came back to Mumbai. I participated in one of India's manhunt competitions. I was contestant No. 1 and was really happy till I realised that contestants were given numbers, basis their height. Since I was the shortest at 5'9“, I was first. I was selected as the most popular model, but nothing happened for a long time. I would audition and be told that my face is very hard, so I should try modelling. When I met coordinators for modelling, they would tell me you have a very soft face, you should try television. So then I would go to TV auditions, they would tell me your face is very blank and expressionless, you should try something else. I would come back every night dejected, till one day when I auditioned for Balaji and got my first TV serial. I did a number of shows till I did Qubool Hai that did very well. Bhushan Patel, my director of Alone, saw that and called me for an audition. I had divorced my first wife by that time and was on a break, learning production and direction. I had grown my hair and beard really long and had a nose piercing too. Bhushan sir looked at me and asked me, 'Are you emotionally attached to your hair? I said, 'I am, but I could cut it. It's not a big deal.' Being a surd, I know, that we are gifted with hair and 206 funny bones. You can laugh at a surd as much as you want to, but we won't ever go bald. Anyways, Bhushan sir said, 'Okay then cut it now.' I didn't cut it then, but on the day I had to meet Bipasha first, he gave me no option and said, 'Karan, please ensure that you cut your hair, wear a shirt, pant, shoes and socks when you come.' It was torturous to wear all that just to meet Bipasha, but it was worth it as I got Alone.

Who do you love the most in the world?
My mother for just being there. All through our growing years she would listen to the songs of Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! every single day from 3 to 5pm.We had to wait for her to finish, so that we could put on our cartoons.

Despite your being so simple and affectionate, you have gone through two marriage breaks in just six years.
First one to Shraddha Nigam, was may be too early. I was just 26 that time. Remembering my father's words at that time that it may be too soon, rings a bell now. It lasted only for six months. We lived together only for two months. We felt that we were bringing out the worst in each other and felt like a jail. You don't want to see that ugly side of yourself. I felt claustrophobic after which I moved out and we divorced in 2009. I got married again in 2012 to my eight-year-old friend Jennifer Winget, who played my wife in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, but we have now separated past few months and are undergoing divorce.

So will you be careful with your relationships now?
I am now just going to stay away from relationships.

Which was your lowest period?
2011-2012 after my first divorce. My show Dill Mill Gayye that I was doing got over and I wasted a year doing a film that did not get released. I had lost my constant income from TV but continued my spending. There came a time when during that time I had to borrow money from my dad again, who had retired by then and that was terrible. I felt like a failure and felt like I had let down my family and everybody who had had faith in me. I had been a rebel all my life and would not even talk to my parents, as I did not want to burden them more. Right from when I have been a kid, I don't like confrontation. Now, I avoid by going to the gym, but when I was a kid, I would go lock myself in my cupboard. Every time I was sad or angry, I would lock myself. In 2011, there was a time when I needed to see the psychiatrist, as I was becoming delusional in my head. I could not differentiate realities. I suck when it comes to judging people. I assume that everyone is really, really good, and everyone is nice and they all say the truth but eventually I find out. I am just a bad judge of character. On top, I have a hyper and over imaginative mind. I become self-destructive when I am sad and many times, I have harmed myself physically. As the doctor explained to me, I was undergoing clinical depression and what is medically called dissociation with reality. If something emotionally really bad happens in my life, then I completely physically, emotionally and mentally shut down. I have a name for it too. I call it Alcatraz, a jail in the world from where no one knows how to escape.

No, it's not that Bipasha likes men to make a pass at her, but it doesn't bother her as she can hardly see.You must be wondering what this means, right? Well, I thought I knew Bipasha reasonably well till I met her a few days back. After what she revealed to me, I died laughing, but I decided to write it out so that her fans too, could know that mad side to Bipasha that I did not know of till then. Excerpts from my conversation with the totally mad, but very sporting and fun Bipasha.

“It's not just my blonde hair colour that makes my friends think that I am blonde. It's also the blonde streak in me, which makes them feel like that. In 24 hours, I keep my brain on only for 8 hours. And during that 8 hours, I keep my brain fully on and focused to my work. But after 8 hours, I reserve my brain and put it onto sleep mode. And that's the time I go socialising with my friends and make all the blunders and say a lot of rubbish. Actually, besides work, all my sides are blonde. People think I am intelligent, but I am only in those 8 hours. And you have obviously guessed by now that I am meeting you when my brain is on sleep mode. And the Bipasha you are seeing is what my friends see. Anyways, I love talking about my defects. So let me start with my eyes. So my eyes have a minus 3.5 number, which means that without glasses, I can hardly see, but I am stubborn about neither wearing glasses nor lenses, so you can imagine what happens. When I see people approaching me, I can only see a fuzzy figure. Slowly slowly, I can see people come into focus. If I know them, then I know their outline. I recognise people basis their form and not because of their facial features. Facial features come into prominence only when they are very close to me. Even when I shoot, I measure my distance. I walk up to my mark, count steps and walk back. That's how I function. Every co-star of mine has some blind jokes for me. I also have selective memory, that too, it lasts for only three months. I keep erasing the rest. Can you imagine what must be happening with me being blind as a bat and on top, having selective memory? In a party, it's very difficult for me. Earlier, people thought I am snooty, as I would just walk past people without wishing them. Actually, I was doing that as I couldn't see them, while they thought I was being snooty. But now, I have figured it out. I keep a really silly smile on my face so that nobody should think that I am ignoring them. Recently, I went for an 11-day holiday with my best friend Deanne Panday. But this was the first time I was travelling without my manager Tanuja, who points out clearly in the direction she wants me to go or see, as she knows that basically, I am blind. Now, I cannot see anything at the airport, be it the counters or the security or where to go for my flight. Of course, I have a pair of glasses ready in my purse, but I don't use them ever. The good thing is that I am friendly and will figure my way. Yesterday, one guy meets me at the gym from far and says, 'Hello ma'am. How are you?' So, first and foremost, I had to walk right close to him to even see who he was. He says, 'Remember me?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'You have met me so many times with John. I am Sunil Bulaboy, his dentist.' I said, 'Oh, hello. How are you?' He understood from my face that I could not place him and again said, 'You don't remember me?' I went back to him after some time and said, 'By the way , who is John?' What to do, I told him, I have selective memory. He was in splits. My director of Alone, Bhushan Patel, and my friend and co-star Karan Singh Grover went mad while shooting with me. One day, I was sitting and thinking. Now, when I think, I have the habit of tapping my left eyelid. If I am thinking fast, I tap it faster. It's a bit animated, but that's the way I think. So, they found me tapping my eyelid and asked, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'I am thinking.' Next day, I had eye allergy in my right eye, so I was scratching my right eyelid. So, they are asking me, 'Oh you are thinking?' I said, 'No, I am scratching my eye.' So, they have now decided, left eye tapping means thinking, right eye tapping is scratching. They think I am very goofy. I have been colouring my hair since I was 18. I love to cut and change the colour of my hair all the time. I have strong Bengali hair, so I can do a lot to it. I really abuse it, but it is supporting me very well. I am allergic to soya, mushroom, vitamin C, broccoli, dates, cashewnuts and walnuts. I have such big ugly feet that I want to sue my parents legally for it. My whole thing growing up was that I will figure out a lawyer why my parents married each other. At least one of the parents should have good feet so that the chances of the kid having good feet is better. When two dirty feet like that get married, what will be the result? So, I have now got used to everyone looking at me in a certain way from top to down, but the moment they reach my feet, they say, 'eh kya hai?' Well, but I am quite entertaining and that's why I make so many friends. I love to talk about all my flaws. Bas, so these are my defects and if someone accepts me for all this, then he will be my soulmate.''

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, forth right 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 multistarrers, 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.



Bipasha Basu continues her love for the horror genre with Panorama Studios' film, Alone. Directed by Bhushan Patel, the movie has her teaming up with popular TV actor Karan Singh Grover, who is making his debut in Bollywood.

The story revolves around a pair of conjoined twins, played by the actress. Karan's character Kabir falls in love with one of them and what follows is an interesting series of twists and turns.

Adding to this horror love story is Bipasha's bold avatar in the film. The sexy actress, who has hardly done bold scenes of late, will be seen shedding her inhibitions as she turns up the heat with Karan on screen.The makers are rather impressed with the passionate chemistry that the two share.

Says Bhushan, “I have always wanted to work with Bipasha and we found the right script with this film. I believe nobody could have done the role better than her and Karan will be a surprise package.''

Alone, produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, Pradeep Agarwal and Prashant Sharma, releases January 16.