Bhumi Pednekar — who made a powerhouse debut as the overweight Sandhya in this year’s sleeper hit Dum Laga Ke Haisha — has just snapped up the Best Actress award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. That apart, the 25-year-old former casting director at Yash Raj Films is turning heads for her all-new svelte look. A t2 chat.
Congrats for the big win at Melbourne. You must be on top of the world…
I was shocked, happy and excited. At first I had the weirdest thoughts…. ‘Did they really take my name. What do I say once I am up there?!’ Just being nominated with these wonderful ladies (Anushka Sharma for NH10, Kalki Koechlin for Margarita with a Straw and Deepika Padukone for Piku) was an honour in itself. I wasn’t expecting it. I did hope that I would win but when my name was announced I was actually pretty shaken. But just listening to the crowd cheer for me gave me a lot of confidence.
To win the best actress award for your very first film must be a huge high. Would you say this surpasses all the applause and accolades that have come your way ever since the film released?
It is a big deal that I won, for sure, but I wouldn’t put this above all the other appreciation I got. For me, every compliment that I got for Dum Laga Ke Haisha was an award. Yes, when people from your field judge your performance and you come out a winner, it just motivates you to do better and gives you the confidence to believe in your craft.
Does this put more pressure on you because everyone will now be watching your next move?
Well, as an actor you’re always pressurised to prove your mettle. Winning just gives you an extra push to do better. Maybe after this those who haven’t seen the film would be more intrigued to watch it. I wouldn’t call it pressure at all… in fact, it has definitely lifted some pressure off me because now I know I have done some justice to my character.
The other big news is your drastic weight loss. How did that happen?
When I had signed Dum Laga Ke Haisha… because I had put on so much weight to play Sandhya… I always knew I would have to shed it too. We are in August now and I started losing weight about seven-eight months ago. When we were promoting the film in February, that’s when people started noticing the weight loss. That just motivated me to work out more. After eight months, this is where I am… and I am really happy!
You were always on the plump side, so was it really necessary to lose such a drastic amount of weight instead of just going back to what you were?
Yes, I was always on the plump side, but I was never a fixed size… there were months when I was overweight and some months when I was not. When I started losing weight, I really didn’t go about it thinking, ‘Okay, this is the body type I want to be’. My only goal was to knock off the weight I had gained for the film and whatever else I have lost after that has all happened organically. When you start working on your body, it becomes a sort of cycle. Of course, six to eight months of going to the gym, having a certain diet… my body is now used to it. I guess my metabolism rate has really gone up, so it’s been easier to lose the weight.
When Dum Laga Ke Haisha released, you were hailed as the leading lady with a difference, your plus-size making you like so many women out there. Hasn’t losing all that weight made you just any other heroine?
You know, I feel that as an actor it is my job to change my body when required and that’s what I did for my first film. Acting is a lot more than how you look just physically. I don’t think I have broken any norm because I feel that why typecast me in either image? Why only think of me as an overweight girl or why only think of me as a skinny girl? I don’t want to ever limit myself. I don’t want to only do roles where I am overweight. How many of those roles will come my way? (Laughs) How many of those roles are given justice in India? I did Dum Laga Ke Haisha because it was a beautiful script. There wasn’t any point when the girl was made fun of in the film. She was a very confident girl and that’s why I did the film and had no qualms about gaining all that weight.
Do you still get feedback every time the film is shown on TV?
All the time! Social media… friends… family… people say and write such beautiful things. I try and catch the film as many times as I can!
When you watch yourself now, do you feel you could have done anything better?
I don’t think an actor can ever be satisfied with their work. You grow with every scene that you do and every day that you spend on set. I know that after five years, I will look back and think of a million things that I could have done better. That’s my way of keeping myself motivated.
What’s next for you?
Thankfully, the kind of scripts that are coming my way are nowhere close to Sandhya’s character. That’s the biggest fear I had… will people accept me the way I am looking now? I am in a very happy space right now because I am getting such fabulous offers (smiles). A nice mix of very interesting characters.
Yes, it takes people a little while to figure out it’s the same girl who played Sandhya. Sometimes I get people on the roads who look so confused and I can totally read them… they can recognise me and yet I look so different now that they are scared of approaching me! (Laughs) And yes, I have a three-film deal with Yash Raj Films and some announcements will be made soon!
Priyanka Roy
What kind of roles should Bhumi do? Tell t2@abp.in
