One of Bollywood's most glamorous heroines, model-turned-actress Bipasha Basu made her debut in films with "Ajnabee" in 2001.

Since then, she has played myriad roles in Hindi films, establishing herself as one of the industry's most bankable actresses. In between consoling her year-old niece and shooing away her dog, Basu spoke to a British news agency about turning 30, her affinity for thrillers and how the recession has affected her.

Q: What is it about thrillers that make you click? There was "Race", "Dhoom" and now "Aa Dekhen Zara".

A: "I don't know about that (laughs). All I know is that thriller is a genre that everybody likes to watch. When you start watching, you have to follow it. There is an instant connect. Of course it has to be very smart, very modern, very edge-of-the-seat and very slickly shot. I guess the entire packaging has to be crisp and I would easily blend into a set-up like that.

"I started off with a thriller - "Ajnabee". "Raaz" was a thriller. I did "Jism" which was a romantic thriller, so I have pretty much been there for thrillers. But not that I don't enjoy comedy -- I have done "No Entry".

Q: Speaking of "Bachna Ae Haseeno", you got praise for your role, but you were nominated for a Supporting Actress Role in spite of the fact a lot of people felt you had a more substantial role.

Did that disappoint you?

A: "No, not really. I feel that at the end of the day if the film does well and the character is liked and people -- all kinds of people, from critics to people on the road -- liked the way I looked and acted, then I have got what I wanted."

Q: Coming back to "Aa Dekhen Zara", your pairing with Neil Nitin Mukesh is one that not many people would have thought of. How does it work on screen?

A: "Yeah, even I wouldn't have thought of it (laughs). I have seen the film, and we look good together. It's very effortless - I am looking like Simi, he is looking like Ray and we are looking like the perfect couple."

Q: Do you have to encounter such attitudes from the industry?

A: "No, I don't have to encounter it from the industry, but from the media. The question that I have turned 30 is asked in such a way that I feel like I have turned 60. And you are working with a 27-year-old boy. "

Q: Do you feel in your prime at 30?

A: I feel I am 14. I was just thinking back to the time when, years back I thought 30 was really old. But today, I don't feel anything. It's just another year."