Bhumi Pednekar has established herself as the most unconventional heroine in Hindi cinema. From her bold film choices to her unconventional looks, Bhumi wants to shatter the industry stereotype of how a heroine should look on-screen.
Bhumi has done remarkable films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, her debut that saw her as an overweight girl on screen, battled her lover’s erectile dysfunction in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and played a sexually charged domestic help whose life speaks of India’s inherent class issues in Lust Stories. She has battled patriarchy in Sonchiriya, played the world’s oldest female sharpshooter in Saand Ki Aankh, highlighted social issues about female suppression in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare and played a dark-skinned girl highlighting societal stereotypes in Bala.
Bhumi says, “For many it has always been about the outer physical beauty but gone are those days where people were concerned. My thing was that it doesn’t matter. I am going to change your definition of what a quintessential Hindi film female actor is all about. We are all in this profession – the idea is to perform all these different parts and be a part of these amazing stories that move people, bring about a change about what people think about themselves and that is exactly what I am going to do.”
She adds, “I am going to create a beauty standard of my own and that is exactly what I am trying to do. Through my cinema, I really want to bring about a change. I want people to love themselves, I want people to be more accepting of who they are, I want to entertain my audiences for sure and that is my number 1 priority and I want to leave them with a thought, a positive thought, a thought that will make their world a better place.”