Is she the new Zeenat Aman? Bipasha Basu in the driver's seat. Pushing the boundaries of the image of Bollywood heroine.

Is Bipasha Basu the new Zeenat Aman? That was the hot topic in the Bollywood press when "Jism" (The Body) was released in early 2003. In the 1970s it was the actress Zeenat Aman who wowed and shocked the conservative Indian movie going public with her 'revealing' scenes. Aman was the first Bollywood heroine to show her cleavage so liberally and did so without any sign of shame or coquetry. Before Zeenat Aman the Bollywood heroine was a demure and reserved virginal male ideal. It was Zeenat who spearheaded a progressive change in the way the Bollywood heroine is viewed. The pride she showed in her voluptuous body and the self confident attitude of her character's marked a shifting liberal attitude towards the way woman could be viewed in the Indian media. Zeenat Aman was (for lack of a better Western description) a sex symbol to the masses during the 1970s and 80s, and in hindsight she was a boundary breaker and changer of social gender attitudes.

The question of, "Is Bipasha Basu the new Zeenat Aman?" could be answered with another question. Which Zeenat Aman are you referring to? If the question meant the sex symbol Zeenat Aman who had captured the imagination of Popular Indian Cinema. Then the answer would be yes. Bipasha Basu is absolutely the most sensually captivating, sex oozing actress working in Bollywood today. Then on the other hand, back to the main question. Do you mean, is Bipasha Basu the Zeenat Aman who helped progressively change Indian attitudes towards the way woman are viewed? Well the answer to that would be, not really.

"Jism", Amit Saxena directed, Pooja Bhatt's written and produced version of the Hollywood film noir, "Double Indemnity" is a slick and sexy morality film that attempts to be feminist progressive, yet actually conveys a conservative morality. Bipasha Basu's character is portrayed as a bold, brazen, and desire driven woman on the surface, but the film reveals that she is actually a cold, calculated, manipulative, con artist. Her desire driven progressive character is actually a ruse for a woman only after material wealth.

Bipasha Basu is a sensation in "Jism". Never before has a woman been as on top and in the driver's seat in a Bollywood film. This film is quality high kitsch with high production values, beautiful bodies, exotic locations, and racy scenes. Bipasha states that she wants to make entertainment for the Bollywood masses, and her goal has been achieved with "Jism".

Also see "Gunaah" [2002] with Bipasha Basu.