Bhumi Pednekkar revealed she turned down big-budget films worth Rs 300–350 crore because they didn’t align with her creative choices. She reflected on the pressures of constant transformation and balancing integrity with career growth
Bhumi Pednekkar
For her first film, Bhumi Pednekkar increased her weight dramatically, a choice that was rare and uncommon for a debutant leading actress. But for Bhumi, transformation has never been just a creative decision; it has been a survival strategy. Looking back at the last few years of her career, the actor admits that constant physical and emotional reinvention came at a cost. “I think I went through so many transformations that in the past few years, I kind of forgot who I actually am. How do I look? Who is this girl?” she reflects in a conversation on mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist.
Bhumi on criticism around Bala
In her decade-long journey, Bhumi says she has undergone drastic physical changes for her roles. “For me, the only way to survive the industry was that I needed to go through a physical transformation because no other girl was doing that,” she says. From playing a 70-year-old woman to starring in Bala, a film that confronted colour bias in Indian society, Bhumi found herself constantly shape-shifting to tell stories that mattered to her.
Addressing the criticism around her being darkened instead of casting a dark-skinned actor in Bala, the actress, who is a former casting agent, says she agrees with the criticism. She admits that if she were making the film today, she would have cast a dark-skinned actor, but as an actor, she saw it as an opportunity to explore her craft. “By the end of it, it is the director’s choice. And they won’t recast you, so why would you say no?” she asks candidly.
For Bhumi, saying yes was also about creating space. “Do I not want to create opportunities? I do,” she says, adding that she hopes to foster such opportunities herself when she steps into production someday.
Bhumi on turning down films
However, reinvention comes with difficult trade-offs. “There are already only so many opportunities that come your way. How many are you going to let go of?” she asks. Bhumi admits she has already turned down several projects, including big-budget films. “There’s enough work that I’ve said no to. Films where the budgets were around Rs 300–350 crore. But I did not align with what I was doing in those films.”
She added that one also has to be practical and think about career progression. “I have to run my house, and not just run my house, I want my career to move on,” she says honestly. For Bhumi Pednekkar, the journey continues to be a constant balancing act between integrity, ambition, and survival.
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