Actor Karan Singh Grover rose to unprecedented fame through his stint on TV. As the actor completes 20 years one cannot help but wonder the love he received. However, with the unconditional love, also came multiple conjectures - right from multiple reports about him being unprofessional, him quitting the show, attitude issues, and more. Karan, however, never paid heed to them.

Karan states, “I wasn’t a professional actor. So, I can't say that, but I'm not the kind of person who would go and justify anything to anybody because I don't need to. I'm not somebody who gets bothered if people think good or bad about me. It's ok. It's their choice. It's their life. It is not even coming into my force field.”

That chain of thought may be one of the reasons why Karan has never spoken about his divorces that happened with Shraddha Nigam in 2009, and Jennifer Winget in 2014. As he sat down for conversation with Bombay Times, for the first time Karan addressed his two separations.

Karan tells us, “There's nothing good about a breakup or a divorce. Yeah, later when people move on, they realize that it happened for the best. That's a good thing. But I never felt the need to speak to anyone about the crap that's happening in my life because I don't expect people to come and talk to me about the crap that's happening in their life. That is not my main motive. I would like to spread some love and joy. Everyone has their own sh*t to deal with and I think everyone deserves that kind of privacy to handle their own sh*t."

Karan is now married to actress Bipasha Basu. He admits she has changed his entire life. "She is the kind of person who is in a constant state of giving. Whoever's in her life stays connected with her. All the heavy, all the negative, the lower vibration stuff just falls. I have another profession (he has also started painting) because of her. She helped me understand and connect with me. The real me. I know myself today because of her. The change that has happened is so drastic. Like from being a nocturnal being to somebody waking up at 5 a.m. and wanting to see every sunrise and every sunset," he signs off.

After television and movies, Karan Singh Grover took a plunge into the digital world with the web show, Qubool Hai 2.0 recently. It re-introduced him as Asad Ahmed Khan, the popular character from the television series by the same name. While talking to BT about his successful transition across mediums as an actor, Karan also opened up about his new venture and his passion for art. Excerpts...

There are many dimensions to me that people are not aware of. I am just happy that with Qubool Hai 2.0, I could showcase an aspect of myself. Besides, the character that I play in this web show is quite different from what I did on the TV show. I have done action and comedy before, but it wasn’t put out there so prominently like they did in this show, which could be the reason why my performance stood out even more.

I worked a lot on the character of Asad Ahmed Khan and his nuances during the inception of the show in 2012, so much so that character stayed with me through the years. It’s not a healthy thing to keep a character within you for so long, but this is a phenomenon that can be expected with television projects that are shot for a long period of time. So, as soon as Qubool Hai 2.0 came up, Asad was there at the snap of a finger. Since he is shown to be a sharpshooter on the show, I trained for a few days at a shooting range in Mumbai. Interestingly, I was quite good at it and that surprised my coaches. The game of shooting is much in sync with your breathing.

As far as the chemistry between me and Surbhi is concerned, even though our characters, Asad and Zoya, are meeting and falling in love for the first time on the web show, they already have a strong base that was created when we worked together for the first time on TV. You can’t really portray this chemistry, unless you’ve spent time prepping for a character before.

The artist was always there within me, but I never explored it. I never took it seriously as I was bad at art when I was in school. When teachers asked me to draw a scenery, I would draw it the way I felt it. Nobody cared about my perspective and would advise me to draw mountains and trees. It is only when Bipasha encouraged me that I took up art seriously. She came across one of my drawings and asked me to explain it. She was surprised when I told her it’s called ‘Dreaming Birth’ as it depicts the soul having already gained its highest potential before entering a womb. She asked me to do more of such work. All of this happened on December 31 in 2015. I remember the day well because that’s the day I proposed to her and asked her to marry me. It was her enthusiasm that motivated me to do my first series called ‘Ascension’. There has been no looking back since. I am not an Arts student, but the more I dabbled in painting, the more I understood it better.

The response has been great. I’ve had people comparing my pieces of art with some renowned works of celebrated artists that I can’t name (smiles!). My art is an extension of my personality. I have also been signed on for Aparajita Jain’s online gallery of new contemporary artists from South Asia. A physical exhibition will happen by the end of this year and I am really looking forward to it. 

Despite the short stint on Qubool Hai, Karan Singh Grover had made an impact as Asad Ahmed Khan. Almost nine years later, the actor has found his way back into the universe of the love story as he headlines Qubool Hai 2.0, a spin-off of the Zee drama. “It is a difficult role because the character is the antithesis of my own personality,” he begins. “Asad is exactly like he was; only that he is not an architect, but a world shooting champion. Zoya’s character and family have been altered. The world around them has changed, but viewers will see them meeting for the first time and falling in love.”

With the series graduating from television to an OTT platform, come changes in its format of storytelling. Ask him how different is the web world, and he says, “I am enjoying this space as much as I enjoyed TV. The story and the character are important for me. Here, there is less stress regarding TRPs. We know the plot, and shoot it at a stretch till we reach the finish line. It is a better way to perform and write.”

Shooting for the Zee5 series was not all roses for the actor — on wrapping up the last leg of shooting in Serbia in early January, he tested positive for COVID-19. “We were shooting in zero degrees, and in a particular scene, I was not wearing a jacket. So, I was down with fever for a day. Two days later when we were to go back home, the unit had to do the mandatory testing before flying out. When the test results came, I was diagnosed with the virus. I didn’t show any symptoms except that I had lost my sense of smell for three days. So, I had to stay back till January 9.”

As he fought the infection, the news took an emotional toll on his wife, actor Bipasha Basu. “Bipasha was devastated; she is strong, but she gets scared when it comes to the health of her loved ones. Often, she doesn’t take care of herself, but wants to make sure everyone around her is okay. So, my diagnosis hit her worse than me,” he remembers.

If the pandemic had brought the world to a standstill last year, it also made us reassess our life decisions and priorities. For Grover, a significant fallout of the pandemic was leaving Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2, a show that saw him take centrestage as Mr Bajaj. The actor decided against shooting in the new normal when the unit of the Ekta Kapoor show resumed work. “I didn’t want to go [on a set] and expose my loved ones to a virus that has affected the world so badly. So, I have not done a lot of work because of the current scenario. You have to work for a living, but you can’t do it at the cost of risking your family. I loved the character, the story and of course, Ekta, but we must prioritise our wants.”

Does marriage change the way we perceive love? Is Valentine’s Day brutal for singles, what sort of boundaries are essential in relationships and more. It’s the month of love, and we got fab-abs couple Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover, who tied the knot in 2016, to talk all things romantic. Excerpts...

Bipasha: We went through a crazy courtship. It was like a film where we were together, then not together, and in and out of the relationship because of family, responsibilities, society. There was this time when I took a strong decision of going away from him. That’s when it hit me hard. I realised that he is the person that I love and can’t do without. Till then, I wasn’t clear. I thought I had lost him and that feeling was a wake-up call. It made me realise that he is my everything. And this is the love story of my life.

Karan: I listen to everyone, but I don’t share what’s going on in my heart easily. I don’t share my innermost feelings with anybody. With her, I was suddenly expressing everything I felt. The connect was organic and this is what we all wait for our whole lives. When you get it and don’t recognise it, you are stupid. I might make a lot of mistakes and I could be silly, but I am not stupid. I recognised it and that made me realise that I love her.

Karan: I don’t think that married couples are overlooked on Valentine’s Day. It’s about sharing and celebrating love and not just romance. Romance is a small part of what love truly means. There are many depths and dimensions to love which you understand only after marriage.

Bipasha: All throughout my life, this has been a day when I send flowers to my mother, and my parents have their own celebration. We wish our sisters and have family dinners. It’s a day of love and it’s for the entire family. We don’t make it just about Karan and me.

Bipasha: You should not take your partner for granted but there is definitely a sense of comfort that creeps in when you are living together. As a team, you are more chilled out and laid back. You want to watch a movie together at home and eat some great food rather than succumbing to the quintessential idea of romance — candle-light dinners, flowers, etc. The stuff that you see in the movies. Marriage makes you more comfortable with each other.

Karan: And well, that’s not a bad thing. I have not heard anyone complaining, “Oh man! I hate my life because it’s comfortable.” (laughs!)

Bipasha: I think it’s got something to do with our society. I do have friends and family where single girls sometimes feel that their one big aim is to find a life partner. That’s the way we are often raised. We are made to believe that until we don’t find a life partner, our life is incomplete. That’s flawed. You need to celebrate who you are, your achievements, work, people in your life... everything. I want to tell all the singles that there’s nothing that they need to feel sad about. Just celebrate yourself. I’ve never felt low on V-Day when I was single. I used to pamper myself a lot. My girlfriends and I celebrated Galentine’s Day. There is no dearth of love in life. It doesn’t have to only come from a man for a woman and vice versa. As long as you have love in your life, be it self-love, or family and friends, you have to be grateful for what you have.

Karan: I never felt low on V-Day when I was single either. Lot of people say that they aren’t happy because they haven’t found love. But what needs to change is how you look at yourself. If you like who you are, you will attract people who will love you, too.

Bipasha: Diamonds, hearts, roses, balloons… I can never complain about them. I love it all and Karan is well aware of that. He has surprised me with all these lovely gestures, but it all would mean nothing if there wasn’t love behind it. I know that he loves me to death. The intention is what matters more, and yes, the real joy lies in the smaller things like remembering what the other person likes. He writes poems for me. He packages it in a lovely scroll. We are khadadus. We eat everything. I make cakes and desserts for us. We play Ludo together. We pine for each other when we are away and happy when reunited. We have been together for six-and-a-half years and it has always been this way.

Karan: We are quite lame! Even if I am painting or doing something upstairs in our house and we haven’t seen each other for hours, we video call each other to say, ‘I miss you’. This is true. We both are romantic at heart and we both are vocal about it. She is funny and we can make each other laugh and that’s the best part about our relationship.

Bipasha: You often hear people saying that, ‘work on your marriage, work on your relationship’, but it has been quite effortless for us. There’s a connect. There’s no effort that we need to take to make our marriage better or keep the spark alive. We have a strong foundation of friendship and that is integral to love. As Karan said before, ‘Romance is just a small part of what love truly means’. I love biryani, but if you keep it in front of me and Karan isn’t eating, it won’t taste that good! Over the years, I have realised that Karan will first say ‘no’ to everything and then say ‘yes’.

Karan: That is true. If I am not around or I am not eating something, she won’t enjoy it either. I honestly keep trying to be better for her because she is perfect at everything she does!

Bipasha: There are disagreements, but there are ways to communicate. Screaming and shouting is not a solution, we never say hurtful or nasty things to each other. Never forget the respect you have for the person. I don’t like abusive words.

Karan: Yes, refrain from using abusive words when there’s a disagreement. Talk it out.

Karan: The person who is wrong should apologize. That person in this relationship is always me because Bipasha is always right. And I am not exaggerating. It’s true that she is never wrong and it’s frustrating. I apologize whenever we fight because it is always my fault. I tell myself that don’t make the same mistakes, make different mistakes and apologize (laughs!).

Bipasha: It is important to be forgiving in relationships because you can’t keep dragging things. In our case, Karan makes more mistakes (laughs!). But yes, if a person has understood what he/she has done wrong, there’s no point bringing it up. Having said that, an apology is useless if the same mistake is repeated and it becomes an excuse. I detest the word sorry. I believe it was invented by people who were looking for an easy way out. Karan knows I hate that word and it’s always been this way.

Karan: Yes, I don’t say sorry to her. I say hello (laughs!) .

After honeymooning in Maldives in May, newly weds Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover who are self-confessed water babies took off to Bali on a whim two months later for some quality time together. Bali is a popular tourist destination known for its dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. With a population of 4,225,000 according to the January 2014 census, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority. Over to Karan for an insider's account...


GOING THE YOGA WAY
Both Bipasha and I are fitness enthusiasts. There were days when I would feel too lazy to go for a workout, but Bipasha never missed out on a gym routine and that would motivate me to swing along. I'm so glad my wife is like this; I wouldn't want it any other way. Even in Bali we'd wake up early and begin our day with yoga and meditation. We had a tutor at the luxury resort in Sayan to guide us through our yoga and meditation routine. We lived by the river Ayung near the forest and would take off on long walks in the lush green woods. It was beautiful! We tried aerial yoga at our hotel in Jimbaran. It's an unusual exercise, which involved two thick sheets, which are turned into ropes to swing from. We hadn't attempted it earlier. It was intense but great fun!


OF SUNSET CRUISES AND STAR-GAZING
Also, since we're both water babies and the Jimbaran resort is by the beach, we spent most of our time at the beach and in the pool. I am a Piscean and given an opportunity, I can stay in the water all the time. We went on a sunset cruise with amazing music and champagne on board. The champagne was wasted on us because neither of us drinks alcohol. Another amazing dinner was at a rooftop restaurant in Sayan with great music and a telescope to watch the stars. Unfortunately for us, the sky wasn't too clear that night so we didn't get to do much star-gazing. But it was still; a memorably serene evening and we gorged on some amazing Malay food. I love their roti-canai and mutton curry.

Whenever we travel, we make sure to try the local cuisine. One of our most memorable Indonesian meals was the Murtabak which is a stuffed panfried bread with layers of egg and kheema.

My personal favourite is Nasi Goreng, a rice-based dish with skewers of chicken and fried eggs on top. Basically, it's their version of biriyani and I gorge on it whichever part of the world I'm in. Since it's an Indonesian dish, I had to try the original and it was just as great.

Bipasha loved the desserts and found a strange similarity with Bengali sweets like Pithe with patali gur, which is a steamed pancake with melted jaggery and Narkeler Nadu a coconut ladoo.

MOSTLY INDOORS
We mostly stayed in the resort but did make a trip to the local market. However, that too was with the intention of exploring the place and experimenting with the local cuisine. We didn't shop much and just strolled around.

We saw this huge monumentlike structure of Lord Ram with Hanumanji and his monkey army which showcases how culturally similar India and Indonesia are. Bali is known for its nightlife but we didn't go out to party. We went back to the hotel by 9 pm. Basically we are young looking, old people.

The reach of our cinema and television is huge and we are usually recognised where ever we go except for Bali. People would occasionally approach us for photographs and small talk, but that's about it. The locals are pleasant, sweet, humble people.

Theirs was a fairy-tale romance -with exotic vacations, spectacular celebrations, lavish dates on faraway islands and dazzling 'fireworks'. Literally, too. Of course, and selfies that spilled their story bit by bit. In an ultimate romantic style, last New Year's eve, Karan Singh Grover went down on his knees and proposed to his ladylove Bipasha Basu. It seemed no less than a perfectly scripted romantic movie, though he says it was spontaneous and it felt like the “right moment.“ There were fireworks lighting up the night skies on a stunning beach, elated spirits and sounds of cheer. Amidst all that, he popped the question. In a state of daze, she said, “Okay.“ He said, “I will take that as a yes.“ Months later, they took their wedding vows, and the grand day was planned by the beautiful bride herself. In their first interview post shaadi, Bipasha (looking lovely with a touch of sindoor on her forehead) and Karan talk about the wedding hangover, and their new beginnings. Read on...

So how's the post shaadi effect? Or should I ask is there any shaadi ke side effects?
Bipasha: It's been less than a month since the wedding, so I'm guessing it's too early for side effects. Honestly, the two months before the wedding was strenuous for me, as I was the event manager for my own wedding. I felt no jitters absolutely; in fact, I had the best time of my life during those two days of the wedding. My mom said that I was like a hooligan of a bride. I am still reeling under the effect of the wedding. I was particular about every minute detail.
Karan: Being particular is an understatement, she was anal about everything, and she just wouldn't rest. Few days after the wedding, she woke up in the middle of the night and asked me about which security is handling which door and where are the guests entering from.
Bipasha: I guess it's the wedding hangover!

So tell us about the moment when he popped the question?
Bipasha: Well, I believed in marriage, but I never thought I would get married. So when he proposed, my first reaction was...'what are you telling me?' And...
Karan: ...Let me complete the story for you. We were in Koh Samui, it was December 31 and the sky was lit with fireworks. I was carrying the ring with me and something told me that this is the right time. So while she was capturing the fireworks on video, I took the opportunity and gave her the ring. And guess what? Her expression was that of someone who was going to be murdered, like in some of her films. Just picture this...I am on my knees for 10 minutes and between sobs she tells me...'What's wrong with you, why do you want to marry me? I am not supposed to get married.' Finally, she said...'Okay'. To me it sounded like a yes, so I said I will take that.

Dating is one thing. Marriage is something else. Now that you are living together, does it feel different?
Bipasha: Our relationship started as deep friendship, not the Bollywood kind of 'good friends'. I have never met anyone who is so much like me, who is not judgmental about anything in the world and who sees the good in everything. So we are very compatible as partners. Living with him is easy, as he does a lot of household stuff and doesn't expect me to do it. I must say that I feel pampered and he treats me like a princess. My friends tell me that Karan is like a foreigner, as you don't often see Indian men do much of household chores. I genuinely feel happy to see him doing the things he loves doing, like vocal training or painting. I like people with passion and it inspires me. I know that I have a partner who just lets me be, though I don't let him be (laughs!). He is not allowed to just be.
Karan: Hey, see she said it, I didn't. On another note, Bipasha was someone who I didn't know for long and who wasn't family (back then), yet, she gave me all the strength and support which no one ever did.

You were open about your relationships in the past, Bipasha. This time around, you were tight-lipped. Why? Though you couldn't stop posting cute pics on social media?
Bipasha: I guess I was still figuring out our relationship, so I didn't want to talk about it and label it right away. Frankly, there was no real plan to talk or not talk about it. We were living our life, and it didn't stop us from going on holidays and doing our own thing.

Bipasha, we heard that your parents took a while to accept Karan and they had reservations about him?
Bipasha: I don't know why the media kept making our parents sound like some villains. I am very close to my parents, but over the years they've had no control over what I have done in my life. They know I am responsible, and I know that they will always be protective about me. My parents didn't know Karan, but when they saw me so happy, they just came around. He met my mom first; he met my dad much later. My dad never makes quick opinions about people; he likes to build a rapport. I guess they are in a place where they will build a relationship with him.
Karan: Yes, I met her parents in instalments. I met her mom at her birthday party. Bipasha is exactly like her mom - a gorgeous, fiery lady. The first time I met her I touched her feet and I hugged her for really long. I guess that broke the ice and I remember that we even danced that night. Her dad and I shook hands at arms distance at first. Now we hug. At the wedding I kissed his cheeks couple of times. Chance pe dance (laughs!).
Bipasha: Karan's family is very accepting, and I had started talking to them on facetime long before the wedding. Over the last two to three years, his parents have seen him change as a person, for the better. He had a lot of baggage around him, but slowly the choices that he made for himself started changing and his parents saw him coming back into his own self again. It is like starting life from scratch. These choices require a lot of strength. I don't take any credit for that.
Karan (looks at her lovingly and says): These choices require a lot of strength from your partner, too. It's just that sometimes you drift away from your real self, and when your life is a little empty you fill it up with things you don't want. Then you realise what your life is all about and all those things start changing. It takes a lot of effort and encouragement.

Karan was married twice before; did that ever bother you, Bipasha?
Bipasha: It didn't bother me and we spoke about it. I believe that everyone has a journey, and it is very easy for anyone to exclaim, “Oh...this is his third marriage, nahin chalega...divorce ho jaayega.“ I tell people that you have to be in someone's shoes to know their story and understand their journey. This world is full of cynics, and thankfully, I have never been cynical no matter what has happened in my life. I have always been a believer. And Karan is like that, too. I feel I am lucky, as I live only for love. And no man has given me more love and respect than Karan. I might not be looking for the same thing in marriage, like others do. I have my own checklist, and I have ticked my boxes accordingly. And I believe you can't judge anyone for their bad relationships. I have had bad relationships, and I could have been easily married twice. The relationship could have been as deep, but I didn't fall into the legality and that is the only difference. You can't condemn someone on the basis of a piece of paper.

Karan, have you ever won an argument with her? There's a saying that goes... Marriage is a relationship where one person is always right and the other is the husband.
Karan (his quickest response in this interview): No! I have never won an argument with her, and I don't try. There is no point. It's not because she is better at it, but she is mostly right. It is irritating, but 99 per cent of the time she is right. I can argue and scream as much as I want, but at the back of my head when I know that she's right, it is a pointless battle.
Bipasha: I'm usually right! (with a naughty grin)
Karan: Yeah, yeah, she must be thinking...it's a curse; I am always right, I don't know what to do.

Any lovers' tiff, yet?
Karan: Well, we haven't really had a lovers' tiff, but I am somebody who likes to do things in my own relaxed pace. And she wants everything done - now! I am aware that I'm supposed to do something, but she will keep reminding me every 10 minutes.
Bipasha (teasingly tells him): I am never going to change that stand, everything for me is - now. It's been a rule since childhood. I am older than you, so listen to me.
Karan: While that may be right, you know how I describe her? She's a small, crazy child stuck in a hot woman's body.

Persuasive and confident, Karan Singh Grover, a popular face on TV has made foray into films lately, who doesn't mince his words when it comes to voicing his opinion. Contrary to his casanova image, he has no qualms about admitting that intimate scenes scare him. In a candid chat, he talks about Hate Story 3, his love for Bipasha Basu and his unshakable belief in the institution of marriage, despite two failed attempts.

What drew you to Hate Story 3?
I've never played a negative character before, so when Vikram Bhatt narrated the script to me, I figured this was unlike what I had ever done. I feel an actor can only grow only if he experiments with different roles. My character Saurabh Singhania is a rich, bad guy, who is driven by revenge, so much that you feel like scratching his face or throwing stones at him.

The intimate scenes in the trailer are creating quite a buzz...
I wish they had shown more of the story, instead of the sizzling scenes. The film is not about boldness or intimacy. Even Alone was not really only about me being presented in a certain way, because eventually the story fizzles out and this is what remains with the audience. In this one, the plot is so strong that other things will take a backseat. I guess, since the franchise is like that, it's being promoted a certain way.

Are you apprehensive about doing bold scenes?
I feel it's scary and uncomfortable as I am a reserved guy. It is not the favourite part of my work. But as professionals, we follow the director's vision and do what he wants. We have to be extra careful while shooting these scenes because we cannot do it over and over again. Thankfully, my next is a funny film that is within my comfort zone.

Does it help if you are friendly with your co-star?
Not really. It's not about your friendship with the co-star but your equation with the director and the whole team. As actors, we need to do our parts exactly the way they have visualised it, because if we don't, we have to keep doing it many times over.

Have you had a hate story in your real life as well?
Hate is a very strong and heavy emotion, probably as strong as love. I don't think I can live with hatred. If something bad happens, you feel bad about it, you forgive and move on. There's no hatred.

So you are the kind who forgives and forgets?
I never forget anything and that's the problem. I wish I could. I am not vindictive. I forgive but I don't forget, ever. Hatred bogs you down. There is more to life than that.

What is the one thing you hate about yourself?
I trust people easily and I am a bad judge of character. I see good in others even when it's not there and sometimes I feel let down. But I don't know if I should change that about myself and become more practical. I have to see something good in every thing.

What annoys you about other people?
I don't like pretentious, two faced people. Everyone has a right to say or behave the way they want to, but I can't fathom how people can pretend to be somebody else.

What's your relationship status with Bipasha Basu?
She is very dear, very close to me. We spend a lot of time together.

Are you in a serious relationship with her?
Let's just say that she is really dear to me and I feel a lot of love for her. She is lovely. (smiles)

What is it about her that you like the most?
She is a child at heart. What you see is what you get. She's a simple girl. I think some people are born with an aura and energy that is so pure. Everything about her is like that.

What binds you together...
We both are very emotional. She is relatively more practical but we have a lot in common. We both like to travel, work out and eat. Trust me, we both are foodies.

After two failed marriages, do you still believe in the institution?
I have not lost faith. I believe in the institution of marriage. It's a beautiful thing, but I have been unlucky. That doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. Sometimes you make wrong decisions in life.

Hate Story 3's promo bears an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood film Indecent Proposal. Are the two similar?
There's no similarity except for the line really. That's a small part of it. The resemblance is just about the line, where he (Robert Redford) wants to sleep with the other person's (Woody Harrelson's) wife (Demi Moore). Apart from that, why my character does what he does is different.

How different is this film from the previous two installments?
Hate Story as a franchise is about revenge and the genre is erotic thriller. This story is different from the previous two films. While the first two were about revenge from the female perspective, this is from the man's perspective. There are so many twists in the film that it keeps you guessing.





Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover have a lot in common, be it their love for food, fitness or beautiful bodies. In a tête-àtête, the lead pair of Alone talks about all things close to their heart. Excerpts:

You've always called yourself a big foodie and yet, you have developed the image of this fitness icon. How do you maintain a balance?
Bipasha: The fact that I eat is a good thing, which is why I have it in my head that I also have to work out to maintain myself. It's very important and I know that if you have to eat, you also have to look after your health. So, I make sure that I don't miss out on either side, which is why this balance in life is very important.
Karan: I work out a lot and I eat a lot.
Bipasha: Oh yes, his metabolism is amazing. Men are more gifted than women, they burn calories so fast.
Karan: Men are not gifted.
Bipasha: Okay, maybe not men, but you, with your metabolism, yes.
Karan: Women are the ones with all the gifts.
Bipasha: Well, in the bigger picture, yes. Women win hands down.
Karan: What are we gonna do with high BMR? That's all we get, high BMR.
Bipasha: But yeah, high BMR is good na. I would love high BMR.

We saw Bipasha's birthday pictures on Instagram, which had lots of food, biryani, cakes, everything.
Bipasha: Everyone knows I am a foodie and that I love biryani. So on my birthday, everyone sent me these tubs of biryani.
Karan: Oh, your birthday biryani! Tubs is an understatement. You can call them ponds of biryani. You basically had to dive in the food and then later, figure out, whether it's chicken, mutton or what.
Bipasha: He looked at the food and said that it was food for 300 people.
Karan: You could feed a country with her birthday food.
Bipasha: There was so much food, cakes galore, red velvet, ladoos, gajar ka halwa, everything that I love. And because I like gajar ka halwa, everyone makes it and sends it to me. So I was like, now which one to eat? My mum's gajar ka halwa is very, very precious to me. Now, on one hand I am telling myself that my birthday is over and I should control, but still, every day I eat little little of my mum's gajar ka halwa.

So what happens the day after a feast like that in the gym?
Bipasha: Well, I'm in a comatose. I've named myself zomatose, a mix of zombie and comatose. I realised why everyone's so slow after having rice. Every motion of my body was slow. I did go to the gym, but it wasn't very effective gymming. It was quite funny.

You're practically like experts on fitness. And it's not the layman's knowledge, it's not like, 'Oh hum gym jaayenge aur calories burn karenge.' You know exactly what to do right...
Bipasha: Well ya, over the years, you keep on trying new things and also, you see how your body reacts to all of that. And the way your body reacts also changes with time, the discipline you put into it, your age. Especially in women, the hormones can make you go crazy. Sometimes it's also a waste, you're doing a kind of exercise everyday, but your body is not showing any effect of it. So that's the time you realise that you've peaked and hit saturation and you need to try something new.

But the general perception is that celebrities hai kuch khaate nahi honge ya there must be cosmetic surgery involved. They don't realise that you guys know almost as much as doctors do, about your bodies.
Karan: Well, not with this generation, where everyone knows everything.
Bipasha: People are much more intelligent, yes. But for celebrities, people still assume that. They get shocked when they see us eat. And we eat a lot. You know, if I order a chicken sandwich in any part of the country, I get some thing that you just can't eat. It's just bread and a few pieces of chicken and at the max, some egg. They don't put anything in it assuming that I must be some crazy health freak who must not eat anything. So I tell them to not say it's for me, tab acha sandwich aata hai.


When did you first get your tattoos and what do they signify?

Bipasha: Tell us about all your tattoos. Even I don't know this.
Karan: Well, I got my first tat too on my right arm which is a dragon when I was 21. I went and asked my parents if I could get a tattoo done and they said no. So I got it anyways. At that time, I didn't put any thought into it, so I just got a dragon. Now I just lie to anyone who asks that my mother's born in the year of the dragon. I realised that much later when I was sitting at a Chinese restaurant and they had this year thing written down. So I was like, oh, my mother's born in the year of the dragon and I have a dragon tattoo. So that makes sense. The next one is on the left arm, which is an aboriginal design, which has a crucifix in it. The left shoulder has the symbol of the seven archangels. Then another one on my right arm, which says 'peace, love, happiness and success,' in Mandarin letters.Then there's another one on the same right arm, which was the most painful. I could hear the needle sound in my brain.The latest is a birthday gift to myself. It's my self-proclaimed designation, superstar, on my left leg. And then one that is across both wrists, that says, Anything but ordinary.' For me, my body is my canvas. I can do whatever I want with it. And I like tattoos. If something means a lot to me, I like the fact that I can get it written on me or painted on me.
Bipasha: My younger sister is exactly like him. My mother would never let her get any, so she would hide and get them done. The first time she impressed my mother was when she got a mandala in which she added the initials of all five family member names in Bengali alphabets. Now she's going to gift a tattoo to my mother. So my mother's turned around, from a person who was against tattoos completely to someone who's going to get a tattoo.
Karan: My dad also keeps telling me, 'when I'll have arms like yours, I'll get a tattoo done.' And I tell him that's never going to happen. Anyone who doesn't have a tattoo won't understand it.
Bipasha: That's true. You have to love it. I would die even if I had to get even one dot. I would never get anything done on my body. I love my body too much. I feel that you can't paint the Taj Mahal.
Karan: Waah!
Bipasha: Yeh churaayi hui line hai. Suna tha kahin (laughing)
Karan: I have graffiti on my Taj Mahal.
Bipasha: Ya, these are our personal Taj Mahals and we can do whatever we want to do with them. Personally, I am afraid of pain and secondly, I love human skin. I would like tattoos on people but not like people who're covered from head to toe. In fact, we love bodies. That's one thing we bond on. Fitness, new kind of training and good bodies. We love beautiful bodies, bodies not like dead bodies. So I like seeing a tan on a person, their natural skin. In the movie, initially, they wanted his tattoos to be hidden. Then when they took off his clothes, they were like how to hide so many tattoos. They said humara bahut paisa chala jaayega special effects mein to clean all of these.
Karan: Listen, I have done a show where, with all these tattoos, I had bare bodied scenes and everything was covered with makeup.
Bipasha: Ab itna time nahi tha ki tumhaare saare tattoos pe makeup lage. All your makeup would be on me.
Karan: That's there. I convinced them ki tattoos rehne do. Makeup karoge to I'll pick up Leo (their dog in the film) toh uspe lagega, Bipasha pe lagega. We'll waste so much time, so then Bhushan sir agreed ki let it be.