Just three years into her film career with hits like ‘Raaz’ and ‘Ajnabee,’ Bipasha Basu greenlight Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Jism.’ Back in the day, people considered the film’s bold and erotic content to be a risky gamble. Reflecting, Bipasha revealed that people called her ‘crazy’ for saying yes to the film. She revealed that people advised her against it since the title went against the image of the typical Bollywood heroine. However, as history is proof, the title helped change the notion of the Bollywood heroine who couldn’t pull off bold films.

Speaking with Hindustan Times, Bipasha Basu reflected on defying the image of the prototypical Hindi film heroine by signing ‘Jism.’ She said, “Jism was the time when I was at the peak, and everyone told me, ‘You cannot do an adult content film. You are like the typical Hindi heroine who is now established in people’s hearts.’ And I said, I just like the story so much. I said I’ll go ahead and do it. Everybody stopped me from doing it. My manager thought I had gone crazy.”

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Bipasha added that the film helped change perceptions about the roles women could play in Hindi cinema. Especially when it came to grey or negative characters. “But it worked for me, and then things changed. Women suddenly were tonging their hair. They wore a bronze look. There was no stereotypical (thinking) that the woman can’t play the negative character. It all changed after that. So, it’s been path-breaking for me. That has been one very important film.”

Moreover, in an earlier interview with Tinder Swipe Ride, Pooja Bhatt, the producer of ‘Jism,’ recalled constantly checking on Bipasha’s comfort levels while filming intimate scenes. However, she acknowledged overlooking John Abraham’s comfort with the scenes. It was only when he confronted her, Pooja realised.

She recounted, “I went to actually explain to them what was required, and I’m telling Bipasha that this is what we have to do, but if you are not comfortable… and John just looked at me and said, ‘Excuse me? Does somebody mind asking me whether I am comfortable doing this?’ For me, that was like somebody threw a bucket of cold water on me. I said, how presumptuous of us women to think that it’s only the woman who is awkward in an intimate situation. The poor guy.”

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‘Jism’ emerged as a massive hit, pivoting the careers of both John and Bipasha.