‘MY PATIENCE PAID OFF’
How do you look back at 2017?
It marked the start of my new life. Dum Laga Ke Haisha (her debut film in 2015) brought me a lot of luck. But I feel I’ve made a concrete place for myself in the industry, thanks to things that happened this year. Now, I know that I’m here and have been accepted.
So, from hereon, it’s just a matter of how long and far do I tread [on this journey]. Also, this year, there have been so many first-time experiences, including my first ₹100 crore film (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha), and signing films with two directors — Zoya Akhtar and Abhishek Chaubey— I always wanted to work with. So, it has been an overwhelming year.
What was going through your mind at the start of 2017, especially since your second film, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, released over two years after the first?
At the start of the year, I was telling myself, ‘Bhumi, you are shooting for a film that’s going to decide your place in the fraternity.’ I knew they were good films but there’s always some uncertainty as you never know the fate of a film.
Then came August, a month that literally changed my life. I was scared and nervous about Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan releasing within a span of three weeks. But it all worked out and I’m so glad about it.
This wasn’t a great year for Bollywood. In that sense, do you feel happy that two of your films feature in the hit films’ list?
I feel proud because at the end of the day, it was my gut that egged me on to do these films. Both were with debutant directors, so I literally had nothing to fall back on except the script. With Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, I got to know about Akshay (Kumar) sir doing the film way later. So many people told me, ‘You’re wasting time by rejecting films’. I’m glad I said no, and that my patience paid off. Patience is a very big virtue.
You didn’t have a release in 2016. So, in a way, did the success in 2017 taste even sweeter?
More than being successful, I’m happy about the kind of impact my films had on people, especially since they weren’t run-of-the-mill films. They were very special films and I was lucky to be a part of them.
Now, your wishes for 2018?
I hope it turns out to be even better than 2017. I’m reading some amazing material. Starting with Chambal, whatever is in the pipeline is great. All those things that I dreamt about while growing up about my life as an actor are happening now.