• “There’s a deep conditioning of power in our country, where the front page news is regularly about crimes on women. The kind of comments that come on such cases will shock you.” Bhumi Pednekar shares her opinion on the crimes against women.
• “The way I look at the characters I have played is that they are women in their entirety. They are different shades of women a modern day Indian girl is.”, Bhumi Pednekar says about her choice of roles.
Kolkata, 21 February 2025 : In the session titled ‘Diving into the Deep – A Decade in the Spotlight’ at ABP Network’s Ideas of India, celebrated actress and climate change warrior Bhumi Pednekar opened up on several facets to her life.
On being asked about the choice of her roles, Bhumi said, “The way I look at the characters I have played is that they are women in their entirety. They are different shades of women a modern day Indian girl is. The common thing of all my characters is that they have agency.”
Something I really miss growing up was seeing women who didn’t fit into the bracket of conventional beauty standards are. I am genuinely fortunate and proud that my first movie was Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Usually women are defined by the rules that society expects them to be. But you don’t really have to. Women should make their own rules.”
On being asked the journey from, Bhumi Pednekar, said, “I gained about 40 kilos for Dum Laga Ke Haisha but people around never judged me. So, I played the character with that confidence. Dum Laga Ke Haisha changed my life. I won’t ever want any other movie to debut.”
Responding to the question of choosing the risks of unconventional roles, Bhumi said, “Your first film is not the one you choose, it chooses you. I didn’t come from a film family. My parents were upset when I chose to work in Films industry. But I didn’t really have a choice. The beauty of it is that I was casting for the film.”
Speaking about saying no to roles, Bhumi Pednekar, said, “I have said no to a lot of work which is tough but it is also the most empowering thing to do. I resonate with a lot of characters that I have chosen and I am fortunate to play such diverse inspiring characters who are more than entertainment. But I don’t want to belittle any other person’s body of work.”
Speaking about gender-pay gap in Bollywood, Bhumi Pednekar said, “There’s a gender pay gap exists everywhere. I have done a movie where I was playing 80% less than my male counterpart despite both of us having similar record in the industry. But I still did that movie to make an impact.”
On being asked about casting couch in the Bollywood, Bhumi Pednekar, said, “I was casting in an institution which was very clean and organized. My casting director would never audition a girl without me being present in a room. While I have not faced it, I will not negate the experience of a woman who has experienced it.”
Talking about crimes against women, Bhumi Pednekar, said, “There’s a deep conditioning of power in our country, where the front page news is regularly about crimes on women. The kind of comments that come on such cases will shock you.”
On being asked if people are really thinking about climate change, Bhumi Pednekar, said, “I really cannot answer that but we are living the adverse effects of climate change.”
