There could not be a better way for Bollywood stars to welcome the New Year than with a grand extravaganza and walking away with pockets full of money for a one night performance. This is exactly what our Bong beauty Bipasha Basu is set to do for 2010 with her performance in hotel Sahara Star for which she is charging a whopping 2 crore.

The announcement was made in an event organized by the hotel Sahara Star where Mr. Vivek Kumar, CEO, Hotel Sahara Star said, “Hotel Sahara Star bids goodbye to the year gone by and lures you into the New Year with Seduction 2010- the happiest, happening and most sought party of the year, with none other than the dusky diva- Bipasha Basu, who will be performing on the evening of 31st December.”

What has been kept under wraps by the hotel is the song on which Bipasha will rock and the names of other stars who will perform apart from Bipasha.

Bollywood’s list of sexy actresses would be definitely incomplete without the mention of dusky bong beauty Bipasha Basu, but never before this had Bips felt that her dusky complexion was in any way a hinderance in her career.Bips was signed for a jewelry brand, but she was swapped at the last minute for Karisma Kapoor. Bips was shocked when she learnt that it was her dusky skin which triggered the brand to replace her in the ad. According to the brand, the diamonds would not quite go that well with her dark complexion and also, her dusky look might not help the brand connect with the target women audience. Also Bipasha’s oomph image would have been an impediment for the families in patronizing the brand.

Now, Karisma Kapoor, with a fair and glowing skin, has been roped in to model for the brand instead of Bipasha Basu and the buzz doing the rounds is that she has already shot for the endorsement in a posh suburban hotel.

However, sources say that Bipasha Basu is very much hurt and disappointed by the whole episode. At the time, when the deal was being clinched with her by the company, they should have taken everything into account and should not have done something so humiliating like this at the last moment.

Also what worked for Lolo was the presence of Vasu Bhagnani’s brother Khemchand Bhagnani as a partner in the jewellery company. Khemchand pressed for Lolo as he considered her lucky for himself and his family. Karishma worked in Vasu Bhagnani’s ‘Coolie No 1’ and the movie was successful at the box office.

Well, that’s fairly unfair of the jewelery brand to do so with Bips. Isn’t it?

Bipasha Basu loves experimenting with her hair and looks. This time the sultry bong beauty has come up with a stunning short bob in copper and reddish tones. Absolutely chic and classy, her first public appearance with the new hair do was at the MTV Hero Honda Roadies – Race event at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz, in Mumbai which really made heads turn. Accompanying the lady was Chhote Nawab Saif Ali Khan.When Bips had a two hour session with her hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani, she ended up with a conventional bob. The actress apparently wasn’t satisfied with the look when she brooded over it after going home. So Bipasha was back for another two-hour session with Sapna the next day. This time the actress decided to completely hand over the reins to Sapna. The outcome – a trendy, classic bob – as Sapna describes it.

“Bipasha is one of those few people in Bollywood who love to experiment with their hair”, says Sapna Bhavnani. “Also, what works in her favour is the fact that her hair is luscious, thick and silky. Her attitude for style is unlike most of the other actresses who prefer to play safe with long hair. I am hopeful that Bipasha’s bob will become a rage among fans in the coming season.”