TLI Staff
New Delhi: Bhumi Pednekar debuted in Bollywood playing an unconventional role of a plus size woman in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. The actress continued to choose her films with care and has always surprised her fans with her different screen avatars. From Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Sonchiriya, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Saand Ki Aankh or Durgamati the actress had managed to impress in nearly all her portrayals.
In a chat with Kareena Kapoor on her show What Women Want, Bhumi Pednekar pours her heart out.
On pressures of losing weight post Dum Laga Ke Haisha
I don’t think people gave me that pressure. I feel that’s something that I kind of took upon myself. It was more self-inflicted. And thank God for that. You know I was clear after Dum Laga Ke Haisha that if I don’t want to be stereotyped and if I want to do versatile work, I have to knock off the weight ‘coz that was not my natural being. I had done it for the film. And I just had blinders on and I went on to this journey. Took me like about six-seven months and I had it off.
On first meeting with Akshay Kumar
My second film was with Akshay sir. And he is such a fitness feak you know and he is like all about health and I remember my first meeting with him I was so intimdiated because I had a protein shake in my hand. I was traumatised because he gave me like a lecture on how like you know we youngsters, we are crazy and we don’t really value our health. We are not going to really survive for long if we take like all these synthetic things. And that was again a very big lesson. But I don’t want to digress.
Favourite co-stars
It has to be Akshay sir because he is just a blast to work with. He is just too much fun and he is just about happy vibes and maze se shoot karo, mazak masti karo. Also I get to learn a lot from him. because he is so involved in all his films. Right from the scripting to the post. So I think it’s a very informative time shooting with him. And in the girls it has to be Taapsee. Because I think we had such a special film that we did together. And usually people think there are two girls, they are going to fight. And there are going to have a lot of issues. Taapsee and I had none.
Co-star that made me nervous
I think Konkona. She is such a phenomenol actor. Yeah we did a film called Dolly Kitty Aur Wo chamakte sitare together and I was very nervous. Because I have really admired her body of work and she’s just so natural with everything that she does. And she has a lot of spunk. And she’s a very intelligent person. So, I was very intimidated by the idea of working with her but you know what’s lovely about the actors is that our persona on-screen could be whatever. But behind the camera we all are super-chilled. We have our own set of insecurities, we worry about the same things. Even she was like, “Oh my God, what if I forget my line? Is my hair off? And that’s very comforting because those are like the common experiences that you have.
Take on cosmetic surgery
To each his own, right. Log bahut judge karte hain agar koi cosmetic surgery ya you know external help lena chahta hai. I think unki zindagi hai, unki body hai, unka chehra hai, unka..unki marzi.You know wahi cheezen karni chahiye jo aapko khushi deti hai.
Will she ever go for such procedures?
Filhaal to koi plan nahi hai. Agar aage jaake mujhe laga ki you know, mujhe iss cheez ki zaroorat hai aur ye cheez mujhe better feel karati hai mere baare mein ya mera confidence high karti hai..why not? Lekin mujhe ye zaroor lagta hai being as natural as possible is the best way to be in the long run.
Bhumi’s ‘want it all’ moment
I had my want it all moment the day Dum Laga Ke Haisha happened to me. Because this is all I ever wanted. Like I didn’t know the probability of my dream actually coming true like uske chances kitne the. Mujhe koi idea nahi tha. Mere toh dimaag mein tha ki main actor banana chahti hoon. Lekin jis din maine woh contract sign kiya aur jis din mujhe bola gaya you know Aapko hum Dum Laga Ke Haisha mein cast kar rahein hain it has that has to be my want it all moment because..of course there was nothing and there is nothing that I wanted more than my first film.
How Bhumi landed her first film
I always wanted to act and you know I had people around me that didn’t necessarily understand ki, “ye kaise banegi?” “Yeh Kaise hoga” And then I just kept looking for every small opportunity and that’s how my first job in YRF happened you know. I was assisting. I was an assistant casting director. And then one thing led to the other. It was four years of assisting. Doing every kind of odd job possible. Because I just wanted to be a part of the system. And I was a bright girl. I was always very confident that you know it will happen. I just didn’t think it would happen with a YRF film. That was something that really took me by surprise.
On casting couch
Honestly maine kaafi saal kaam kiya. Aur maine bahut young age mein kaam kiya hai. Parents ke hisaab se agar aap casting kar rahein ho that’s the big bad side of Bollywood right. But maine woh kabhi nahiin dekha. Main ye nahin kahungi ki exist nahi hota hai because jin logon ke experience hue hain main unko null nahin karna chahoongi because that will be very insensitive and incorrect. Because you know, there are women that have gone throough like really hard experiences but is it a bad world? Not at all. You know I feel films and fraternity that we have, it’s the most giving, caring, nurturing space.
When I feel stressed, I go for a workout
When I feel extremely pressurized, I go for a workout. It’s the only thing that clears my head out. Yeah I get damn anxious you know and usually when I am on a film set, I’m the happiest I have no like…matlab I don’t feel the pressure. I am very happy, I love…But if I’m off a film set and you know I’m going through like whatever maybe hormones, maybe pressure or maybe it’s just like whatever it is that I am facing. I go for a walk, I go for a run. I go for workout. It just like sorts me out. Workout is more therapeutic to me than like patle hone ke liye main kar rahin hoon..nahin. Sirf mental exercise ke liye karti hoon.
On cooking
Rasoi se rishta ye hai ki uss rasoi mein jo khana pakta hai mujhe wo khaana bahut pasand hai. That’s about it. I did it. And it was actually quite good. Lekin banana bead his ek aisi iklauti cheez thi jo bahut achchi thi because I love meetha. And in the lockdown bahut mushkil tha. Toh maine khud ki cravings puri karne ke liye banana bread aur maine thode cake vake banaye. Obviously all were gluten free, super healthy and pata nahi. Wo jo bhi ingredients ghar pe available the humne matlab sab khatam kar diye the.