Bhumi Pednekar is a self-made star who has catapulted herself to stardom through her body of work. Bhumi won hearts with her last release Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare and she will now be seen in Durgavati, a project she is supremely excited about.
For Bhumi, this is the first film that she is headlining in her career and she is extremely grateful for the opportunity. Durgavati is being produced by Akshay Kumar, her co-star from the blockbuster Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.
“It is the first time that I am helming a film alone and it is exciting as well as nerve-wrecking. There is a lot of responsibility on me. I have been very fortunate as an artiste and I’m proud of my journey in cinema so far. So, I’m grateful for this opportunity. I have always had a co-star to share the responsibility with, now I am helming this film. I am really excited to see how people react to this. I have never looked like this, people have never seen me in this avatar,” informs Bhumi.
Bhumi is taking the hit franchise of Badhaai Ho forward as she is set to start shooting Badhaai Do. The first film of the franchise featured Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana and he delivered a blockbuster. Ayushmann was also voted as one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine and Bhumi has had a hattrick of hits like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Bala with her favorite co-star.
Bhumi says, “He was my first hero and out of the 8 films I have done in 4 years, three have been with him! He is a very dear friend and I am very fond of him. I feel very happy when I see he has reached and he really deserves it because he has had such a long journey. I think the forte that Ayushmann and I have is a certain kind of cinema that we both kind of create when we get together.
She adds, “The three films that we have done have really been true to their genre. I feel very lucky because we have created a space with each other that is very rare. I love collaborating with him, we are very likeminded, our value system is very similar. Till date it has been a 100% success rate and I really hope that it stays like that like in the future as well.”
Bhumi says she is extremely satisfied doing the meaningful cinema that she has been a part of. “I feel very fortunate that I’ve never been on a film set and felt like why am I here? I don’t want to be unhappy doing the work that I do and touch wood that has never happened. I have never been a part of the film where I felt it’s not correct,” says the versatile actress whose box office streak has made her a producer’s favourite.
“I feel as an actor my profession comes with a certain responsibility especially in the times that we are living in. There is a lot that needs to change and if I can use my craft, my voice, the medium that I have been given by God to bring about a positive change around me; I will be a very lucky person. So, that’s why I have to consciously make a choice that yes the priority is to entertain audiences but I always make sure that I leave them with more than a couple of laughs,” says Bhumi.