How Bhumi Pednekar carved a niche in Bollywood with girl next door characters

On 27 February 2015, Bhumi Pednekar entered Bollywood with Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She wasn't your conventional Bollywood heroine with a ideal figure, but an overweight woman, you would find next door. Bhumi, was never a struggling actress, but a successful assistant to the well-known casting director Shanoo Sharma. Her journey as an actor was an accidental one.  As serendipity would have it, Bhumi was noticed by Shanoo when she was auditioning all by herself. This happened at a time when Aditya Chopra was looking for someone to play the lead in Dum Laga ke Haisha and an opportunity came knocking her way when Shanoo pitched her to the director-producer.

In the film, Bhumi played the role of an educated overweight girl Sandhya, whose school-dropout husband shows no interest in her. The movie, which also starred Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role, became a hit at the box office with reported collections of over ₹30 crore. While many thought this was a one-time thing,  Bhumi returned in a new avatar, shedding 32 kg in Akshay Kumar starrer Toilet (2017). It too became a hit. In her 8-year career, Bhumi Pednekar has worked in around 17 films. Each defines the actress and her choice of roles. Over these years, Bhumi has maintained her girl-next-door aura while avoiding audience fatigue.

3 things you need to know 

• Bhumi Pednekar worked as a casting director before making her acting debut in 2015.
• The actress shed 32 kilos before she played the leading lady in Akshay Kumar's film Toilet.
• Bhumi turned 34 on July 18.

Bhumi Pednekar with her girl-next-door aura correlates with her audience

Bhumi Pednekar, right from her debut film, hit the right notes with her audience. Be it Sandhya from Dum Laga Ke Haisha or Jaya in Toilet, Bhumi's roles touched the audience as they saw themselves in her. In all her roles, she wasn't the most beautiful girl of her town, but an educated, independent woman who knew to voice her issues and concerns. Through her dressing sense and dialect, she mostly represented the middle-class girls of India in her films.

Bhumi's choice of roles hasn't been exceptional but thought-provoking, inspiring

Bhumi's filmography has been dominated by films with social messages. While she stayed in her comfort zone, the actress always played powerful roles. Her films weren't hero-driven stories, Bhumi was an equally important part of each of her projects (Bhoot being an exception). As Jaya in the 2017 film Toilet, Bhumi played the role of a woman who for her self-respect and safety, fought with her husband and orthodox in-laws to build a toilet in the house. She continued to be your girl-next-door, but at the same time she was the woman who knew her priorities. She was unapologetically vocal about her rights and needs.

(Bhumi Pednekar has been breaking the mould of the conventional Bollywood heroine with her roles | Image: Twitter)

In Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Bhumi who plays the role of Sandhya after a few attempts to build a relationship with her husband, leaves his house for not getting the self-respect she deserves in her marriage. She also addresses the issue of men not being educated enough about how to treat a woman. 

Bhumi didn't stop at playing an overweight woman or a lady who fought for basic necessities. She even took up the role of a dark-complexioned girl Latika Trivedi in the 2019 film Bala, which once again had actor Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role. In Bala, Latika was bullied for her skin colour despite being the brightest student. Bhumi, flawlessly showed the struggles of a woman with dark skin.

Bhumi Pednekar didn't shy away from addressing sexual issues in her films 

Right from the 2018 film Lust Stories (an anthology) to the 2022 movie Badhaai Do (Sequel of Badhaai Ho), Bhumi Pednekar didn't shy away from playing the bold girl, who voiced her sexual needs and addressed the issues around them.  

(Bhumi played the role of a lesbian in Badhaai Do | Image: Twitter)

In Lust Stories, she played the role of a maid, who was sexually involved with her employer -- voluntarily. In Badhaai Do, the actress played the role of a lesbian. Bhumi was also part of the film Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, where she played the role of Sugandha who helps her partner deal with erectile dysfunction. Even in the 2019 film Pati Patni Aur Woh, Bhumi Pednekar is shown as a bold woman, who doesn't hesitate to joke about sex with a guy who has come to see her for marriage. 

Bhumi Pednekar's attempts to step out of her comfort zone

Bhumi, who is mostly known for her girl-next-door avatars, tried her hand in the horror genre with films like Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship and Durgamati. But, didn't receive positive review from the critics or audience. The actress has also shown her versatility in critically-acclaimed films Sonchiriya, Bheed, Saand Ki Aankh and Afwaah. Bhumi Pednekar, with her choice of films and roles, has carved a niche for herself in the film industry.