It’s really cold in here. Can we switch off the air-conditioner?” is a request I have heard from actors innumerable times over the years. And, it’s understandable. During film promotions, most actors spend hours in rooms colder than the hinges of hell. Recently, on a very rainy afternoon in Mumbai, I heard Bhumi Pednekar making this request in a banquet hall at Sun-n-Sand Hotel.

My ears immediately perked up because recently there was a news item that the Dum Laga Ke Haisha actress had got into some sort of an altercation at her gym in Mumbai over the temperature in the room. So, I had to ask Bhumi what temperature she prefers. The spunky actress laughed out loud before saying, “I was surprised at that news.” Did she really use the ‘Do you know who I am’ line? “No ya, that’s so not my language. I am sure the lady I am supposed to have had the fight with also must have been surprised to read about it in the newspaper. It was such a nothing incident.”

What’s not “nothing” is that Bhumi has two back-to-back releases coming up. First up is Toilet: Ek Prem Katha which she describes as a “sweet love story” that also addresses the issue of open defecation. Less than a month later, Bhumi has Shubh Mangal Savdhan with her Dum Laga Ke Haisha co-star Ayushmann Khurrana. Once the banquet hall was a little warmer (not really, but one can imagine), Bhumi revealed why she wants to “grow up” to be Akshay Kumar!

After no release for almost two years, you have back-to-back releases...

Yes! I am very excited! I had to take that break to knock off all the weight that I had put on for my first film. I had very realistic goals for the time that I would take to knock off 34kg. I didn’t want to put my body through anything drastic to lose the weight. I wanted the process to be as natural as possible. Toilet was the first film that I signed after Dum and it was always supposed to start at the end of 2016. So, it’s all pretty much on schedule.

Toilet is a special film because it feels like a relaunch. It’s very different from Dum Laga Ke Haisha. That character was so impactful that I needed a film like Toilet to break away from that.

There was also Manmarziyaan, a film with Ayushmann that got shelved mid-shoot. Was that frustrating?

Not really. Even before I started Dum, I knew that my second would take a while because I wanted to knock off the weight before I started. I didn’t want to do another film with that body because I would have got typecast. I know I am going to have a long career and I am in no hurry. I have been very patient to wait for the right kind of work to come my way.

When Toilet came your way, what caught your attention first — the script or the fact that you’d work with Akshay Kumar?

When the story was narrated to me, I didn’t know Akshay Sir was going to be a part of the film. It was only when I confirmed that I got to know that he was in the film. My decision to do the film was purely based on the script and my character. The story is skewed towards the woman’s character. It’s an epic love story between these two simple characters. The villain in this love story is a toilet. I was sold on that concept.

All of us know how dire the sanitation conditions are across the country. Did you learn anything new while making the film?

When I started prepping with the writers (Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal) and director (Shree Narayan Singh), I realised how socially relevant this film is. People think this doesn’t affect people in cities, but it does. I remember when I’d go to school in Mumbai, I’d see people sitting in a line by the train tracks. They would have umbrellas to hide their faces, but you could see everything else. More recently, when Mumbai was flooded (on July 26, 2005), I was walking back from college and there was shit floating everywhere.

People would say this is because of poverty or a lack of infrastructure. After doing this film, I realised that this is also a mindset issue in rural India. The promo has this dialogue that says ‘Jis aangan mein tulsi hai usmein sauchh kaise bana sakte hain?’ Men want the women in their homes to cover their faces, but they are okay with them defecating in the open. The hypocrisy astounds me! I am hoping the film changes that.

Before the release of Tubelight, Salman Khan told t2 that he believes films can cause change in an audience. Do you believe that as well?

Absolutely! Films are the largest visual medium and people worship actors. It’s up to us, in the industry, to use this power for the betterment of the society. Times have changed and we can’t afford to be ostriches anymore. You can’t ignore the problems around you just because you are in a comfortable position. As a socially responsible Indian citizen and actor, I have the responsibility to try to make a difference.

I am lucky to be a part of a film that’s commenting on the crisis our society is going through. Films like Pink, Toilet or even Dum Laga Ke Haisha encourage women to speak up and that’s an important first step. A lot of women don’t even understand that not having a toilet is wrong. As actors, we can’t shy away from our responsibilities.

What is Akshay like as a co-actor?

For starters, he is such a great example for a newcomer like me. This is just my second film and he’s been working for 25 years. But the energy and zeal that he brings to a film is incredible. He is so professional. He is a superstar, but he is as driven about his work as I am. I hope I grow up like him. He goes out of his way to make his
co-actors feel comfortable. He is not intimidating at all.

Karishma Upadhyay