I am excited about playing a parallel lead in my next Bollywood film: Bhumi Rajgor

From being a makeup artist and working with actors like Supriya Pathak and Malhar Thakar to acting in films like Fakt Mahilao Maate and Satyaprem Ki Katha, it has been an interesting journey for Bhumi Rajgor. “Soon, I will be seen playing a parallel lead in a big Bollywood film and I am really excited about it,” says the Ahmedabad girl. Excerpts from a chat:

I am a trained Kathak dancer and I always wanted to become an actress.But earlier, my family had concerns about whether the film industry is safe enough for women. My mother had a salon in Ahmedabad, and I trained to become a makeup artist. I lived in Mumbai for a long time and I have worked with several celebrities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to shut down the salon. The film Kehvatlal Parivar was being shot in Ahmedabad amid the pandemic and Supriya (Pathak) ma’am wanted a makeup artist who would assist her with hair and makeup for a month. She was so worried about safety that she had got theplas packed for the entire month! I told her that I would get home-cooked food for her and she was very happy. We formed a very special bond and after this, my family also felt that the film industry is safe enough for women now. Soon, I did a master’s course in acting and my complete focus is on acting now. It’s an amazing profession because it gives us the opportunity to play so many different roles, which isn’t possible in real life.

While a lot of people have told me that I look like Madhuri Dixit, the biggest validation came when I was shooting for an ad with her (Madhuri). When we met for the first time, she said, “You look just like me!” I was completely star-struck because I have loved her as an actress since childhood.

We shot at various places in Gujarat for Satyaprem Ki Katha including the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara, and it was great fun. Although I had a small role in the film, I learnt a lot from actors like Kartik Aaryan, Siddharth Randeria and Supriya Pathak.

I learnt a lot while doing Fakt Mahilao Maate and I have another Gujarati film, Hurry Om Hurry, which will release later this year. I want to do more Gujarati films and it would be great to be a part of powerful films like Hellaro. I also want to do OTT projects because it’s a content-driven medium. I am hopeful that I will get more exciting roles in Bollywood soon. I keep shuttling between Ahmedabad and Mumbai for work, and I haven’t shifted base to Mumbai yet. There are days when I audition for five projects in a day and it can be frustrating when you don’t get selected for any of those. But I love being in front of the camera and enjoy the entire process.