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‘I HAVE ALWAYS ADORED PRIYANKA’
Actor Bhumi Pednekar says she has always admired strong women and success stories such as Akshay Kumar’s
It’s not even been three years since Bhumi Pednekar made her debut with the hit Dum Laga Ke Haisha (DLKH; 2015), and the actor has already tasted back-to-back successes in films such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK) and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (SMS). However, what’s interesting is that Bhumi says she was “very secure” right after DLKH. Excerpts from an interview:
Do you feel you’re in a secure position with regard to your career?
I was always very secure, because after Dum Laga Ke Haisha, I felt really protected, and maybe it was due to the character or because of the film. After DLKH, only love and respect came my way. I guess that automatically makes you comfortable. Three months after DLKH, I signed TEPK, and then three months later, I signed SMS. During that time, I was getting a lot of other offers too. So I had [a lot of] choices, which is rare for an actor.
But do you still get nervous?
I don’t know if I’m past it (being nervous) or not. But today, what really scares me is that I will wake up one day and feel that I haven’t done enough hard work. That’s why I don’t want to feel like I’ve achieved a lot. I feel happy that people have liked a certain film and my performances, but believe me, [by then] I am already onto my next project.
Do you judge your own work?
Of course. I was happy after I got [great] reactions for my performance in TEPK, but I kept asking myself what I did wrong or what I did right? As an actor, you know when you have cheated, and everyone does that. But once you watch it, you ask yourself why you did it?
You got to work with a star like Akshay Kumar quite early in your career. Have you always looked up to him or similar people?
I don’t know if I am strange (smiles), but I admire strong women. So, for instance, I have adored Priyanka Chopra since she became Miss India. All such strong women inspire me. In fact, I won’t say strong women, but success stories are very inspirational. So, I have always been inspired by Akshay sir. And that’s why it was a big deal for me to work with him. I admire that he does a lot for the country in his own way.
Ideally, what would you like to be remembered as – a talented actor or a big star? Actually, I want people to remember me as a humanitarian. I strongly feel that I want to do a lot for humanity. I am not giving ‘Miss India type answers’ but when I was very young, I used to think, ‘oh, the water will dry up from earth in 10-12 years. Then, what will we do?’ I was very young but still, I would have sleepless nights.
So, even at that age, you were thoughtful?
I was very lucky that I was brought up in an atmosphere where our parents and even school made us socially aware about such things, which – I feel – is very important. Funnily, since I feared that water will dry up soon, I had planned that I will buy a huge house and stock up lakhs and crores of mineral water bottles so that I can survive.
Do you feel being an actor can help you achieve that (being a humanitarian)?
Yes, absolutely as I really feel that being an actor can be a medium for me to achieve that goal. I wish that God gives me enough power that people listen to what I say. I have had this kind of thought process since childhood. If, at my funeral, people say that I was a great actor but a greater human being, then that would be a life well lived.
Work wise, there was over two year gap between your debut film and the second one. Did that bother you?
After Dum Laga Ke Haisha, I didn’t have a film for two-andhalf-years, so things were a bit shaky as there were problems with Manmarziyaan and that did make me nervous. But I am glad that Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK) happened and I am so grateful to the entire team.
I really respect these filmmakers and actors (of TEPK and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan) because they had seen me only when I was 90 kilos and not in the thin avatar, but still, they put their faith in my craft. So, they will always be special because they showed faith in me when there wasn’t really a canvas for them to see [anything]. Now, of course, I feel I have a secure place and when I say that, I am not talking about my success ratio.