Bipasha Basu’s complete style evolution

On the issue that launched Vogue in India, Bipasha Basu was one of the six women gracing the cover. The 41-year-old started her career as a model back in 1996, and as a natural progression, moved on to movies, winning the Filmfare Award for the Best Debut Actress in 2001 for her work in the thriller Ajnabee.

Filmography

Having starred in over 50 Bollywood movies, Bipasha Basu is best known for her work in Hindi film industry. But she has also starred in Tamil, Telugu and English language films. Post her debut, Basu had her first major success with the supernatural thriller Raaz (2002), which went on to become a franchise of three movies. The subsequent year, she starred opposite John Abraham in the erotic thriller Jism, establishing herself as the industry’s It girl.

After several hits and misses, some of her most well-known movies include the ensemble comedy No Entry (2005), Humko Deewana Kar Kayege (2006), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Omkara (2006), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and Race 2 (2013), amongst others. Her role as an executive at a conglomerate in drama Corporate (2006) remains one of her most talked-about. Today, she is also one of the three women behind the successful e-commerce platform The Label Life.

Style files

Bipasha Basu is often personified as a classic Indian beauty, thanks to her flawless olive skin, dimples on her cheeks and sharp features. Her perfectly worked out frame has inspired fans and designers ever since she made her on-screen debut. Flip through her style book and you’ll notice her soft spot for risqué silhouettes since her early days. Her sultry red dress with cut-outs on the torso from International Indian Film Academy Awards 2007 remains as a memorable number.

Come the noughties era, her style choices showcased the popular trends of the decade. Short monochrome dresses that accentuated her body were a mainstay in her closet in 2010 and 2011. These varied from ruched dresses to more party-ready styles. The year when her films Players and Raaz 3D reigned, Basu was a fan of highlighter hues. Remember her tangerine Pia Pauro one-shoulder dress? Or the neon blouse and skirt combo?

The next couple of years, her closet was monopolised by longer hems that came courtesy of midi dresses and skirt and blouse combos. But she didn’t shy away from adding her sexy spin to them. The Masaba floral print aqua dress, during the promotional rounds of Alone, came with bold cutouts on the waist. Come 2015, black and white was Basu's preferred choice of palette on most occasions. One day she’d be spotted in a snowy one-shouldered mini with sparkly pumps for a popular calendar launch in Mumbai or a milky anarkali. On another, in an all-inky ensemble for IIFA or ebony leggings and trench coat at the airport.

2016 was an important year for Basu. She tied the knot with actor Karan Singh Grover in a multi-day celebration. You can track the Bengali actor’s strong loyalty with fashion designer and friend Sabyasachi Mukherjee during her wedding festivities. For the big day, she leaned on a sindoori lehenga by him that came with the couturier’s signature and bestseller “Bipasha” blouse, which is interestingly inspired and coined after Basu herself. “When Bipasha was getting married, she came to the store, looked at the blouse and gushed: ‘This blouse has my name written all over it.’ I smiled and said: ‘Quite literally’,” Mukherjee once told us in an interview. She went on to pick another stunning creation by him for her wedding reception. For the other events, ensembles by Anita Dongre, Sukriti & Akriti and Arpita Mehta were her go-to.

Post her wedding, Basu was spotted on many outings with Grover, but some of the most iconic images of the duo is the blue Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla blue gown for IIFA soon after their big day, followed by the matching red ensembles for their first Valentine's Day in 2017. Basu and Grover, who both lead active lifestyles, are more often than not spotted on their way to the gym channeling bookend-worthy athleisure. She, for one, does her own functional plyometric training for toning her legs and weight loss mixed with Pilates, yoga, weight training and cardio. “I love it. It’s effortless for me,” Basu revealed to us. “I can lift more than men can at the gym.”

In 2018, Basu upped her street style cred with several denim ensembles. From breezy off-shoulder dresses and shirts to structured jackets and skirts, she showcased her versatile collection of basics. As for her traditional wardrobe, it has always been dominated by saris, whether a sequinned cocktail number or a timeless Benarasi weave. But statement-making shararas like the icy blue Gopi Vaid one she wore for Diwali 2019 or the white Shantanu and Nikhil lehenga she chose at a Sakhi Bhatt’s wedding have made regular feature in her closet too.

It’s easy to see that in recent times, Bipasha Basu has taken to a streamlined aesthetic. But there's no doubt her style has evolved through the years. “Everyone has their personal struggles with what they want to look like in order to feel beautiful and confident. I am a different breed. I have always loved myself—even when I was told the right side of my face doesn’t match my left," she said. It is this enthusiastic experimentation and self-confidence that has had her fans coming back for more. Check out the slideshow for all her looks through the years.

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