Bhumi Pednekar: Technically, my career started just eight months ago

Actor Bhumi Pednekar’s first film came out in 2015. But, she says she took a break for a year and a half, and went completely underground to get back in shape.

The first choice you make in your career makes all the difference, feels Bhumi Pednekar. The actor says that her debut film Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) kind of set the “tone” for her — she got to do films that are “closer to reality”. Even her upcoming film Son Chiriya, helmed by Abhishek Chaubey, is such.

“I think it all started from my first film. Woh hota hain na aap jaisa apni career shuru kartey ho, toh ek sur set ho jata hain aapka… My first film was a unique love story and the next two (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, 2017 and Shubh Mangal Savdhan, 2017) were also love stories but completely different from one another. Given these films have been closer to reality, the audience also enjoyed watching them. I don’t think I could have asked for anything more,” she says.

Bhumi,who will be seen playing a dacoit in her next film, says that she feels lucky. “I feel extremely lucky that I started with a great film, and also for the other films came my way. I took the challenge for Dum Laga Ke Haisha and gained weight. Then, I had to lose weight... all the extra kilos, to play the part in my other films, which was not a cakewalk, of course. If I had a conventional debut, then I might not have had these films coming my way. People started associating me with content and filmmakers have faith in my craft,” says the beaming actor.

“As I said, after Dum… I took a break, and that too for a year and a half, and went completely underground to get back in shape. So technically, my career has started just eight months ago,” she laughs. Her Akshay Kumar-starrer second film released in August, last year.

“I hope I continue getting good work, make beautiful movies and get the opportunity to explore both different stories and characters,” she signs off.