Not the quintessential Bollywood heroine,
Bhumi Pednekar has by now shown that she has a lot of dum. I wouldn't mind calling her the "unsung heroine", as her performances deserve far more appreciation than she's actually earned. It's always a pleasure to chat with her because, more often than not, she is not the one to mince words. We at ETimes appreciate candid conversations and here's a no holds barred tête-à-tête with Ms Pednekar. Watch her exclusive video interaction below:
Excerpts from the interview:
You had recently said that you wouldn’t exist if the content in our Hindi films hadn't revolutionised. Can you elaborate on that?Until now, I haven't done everything that a conventional Hindi film heroine stands for. If the depiction of the Bollywood heroine hadn't changed over the years, an actor like me maybe wouldn't have been called a successful actor. I keep going back to the writers and thanking them; the revolution in the writings and the way that the audiences have started perceiving cinema in the recent past, is the reason why I have flourished and my journey so far has been fulfilling.
But you have grown up in the 90s and presumably even watched films from that era. Imagine yourself in Bollywood from that period and tell me what you would have done?(Laughs) To be honest, there have been films in the 90s- like 'Rangeela', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' to name some - which stood out. The change had already started then; heroines were not accessories in films. In the 80s, in fact, Shabana Azmiji, Smita Patilji, Jaya Bachchanji, Hema Maliniji, Rekhaji featured in wholesome cinema. I wouldn't have felt different even then.
I would point to the early 2000s to be specific. As a female actor, I can't just be there to add glamour, or do just a song, or be an object of admiration. I am not belittling any woman who was on screen in that phase, but it was a cumulative failure of how cinema was being written then. I am really glad that women of today’s Hindi cinema are at a much better position to demand respect for their craft.
Okay, so what would you have done if you were a heroine in Bollywood during the 2000s? Would you have quit?No, I wouldn't have quit. I would have kept hunting for opportunities till I got something to my liking.
Ek actor banne ki bhook bahut jyada hoti hai. I don't think we are suddenly in a golden era of filmmaking, there's a period in every phase wherein good films
mein drop aata hai and this is controlled by the audiences because it is they who pay to the film's kitty. Nobody actually wants to make crass. Now why you feel that quality has bettered is because OTT
pe freedom aa gaya hai, jahan Friday ka repeated pressure khatam ho gaya gaya hai.I have realised that now we have a lot of potential to compete in cinema at a global level. We were not able to do it earlier because there were some conditions, but the advent of OTT has eliminated those. The talent of exchange between Hindi movies and other spheres of content and even between our country and others is soon going to be beautiful and healthy and I am very excited about this.
When you say that OTT pe freedom aa gaya hai- are you also hinting at the absence of censorship in that medium or the drop in formula films that it might bring about in Bollywood? I am hinting at the general mentality that the people had developed. And, what happens in every other industry is not much different than the film industry either. Herd mentality is very common and then you need a disruptor to change the sur- say like a 'Rangeela, 'DDLJ', 'Bheja Fry' or the kind of films that Sujoy Ghosh makes.
So you're saying that the giant strides being taken by OTT and even technology have proved to be that disruptor?So now, we are catering to people, especially the youth who is seeing new and different types of content, and hence there is a demand for sharp content. It is not only the family audience who is being catered to. And hence, I credit this to the writers and makers both.
Actors ki jo dominance hoti thi woh ab bhi hai, lekin a certain amount of powershift towards the writers and directors hua hai. Again, a word of praise for today's writers, they need to be celebrated.
From someone who is discriminated for her color in 'Bala' to an overweight woman in 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' and an assaulted daughter-in-law in 'Sonchiriya
'- does Bhumi Pednekar always want to send out some message?Yes, I think so. My films should entertain people but my portrayals should make them think. The films you mentioned were heavy on message but even in a film like '
Pati Patni Aur Woh
', which was an out-and-out entertainer, I tell you that you don't have to succumb to the societal pressure of marriage. I want to deliver some thought in possibly every film that makes the people change their thought process.
You have strong opinions. Do they cause arguments with filmmakers on the sets if you want to approach certain scenes in a different way?I do a lot of prep. So, the discussions, if any, happen off the sets, before we roll the cameras. There may have been a one-off incident, that's about it. I may look at a certain part in a different way and I use my intelligence, but in the end I always succumb to the director's vision.
Can you tell us about that one-off incident?Frankly, I don’t remember because nothing eventful per se has happened in this regard.
You said you do a lot of prep. Which film of yours had the most challenging prep?'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', for one, because I had to put on lots of weight. But I would rate '
Sonchirya
' as the one wherein I put in maximum prep. I didn't take up any film for eight months as I wanted to go that extra mile for 'Sonchiriya'.
What did you do for 'Sonchiriya'?I am a very strong, independent person but I played someone who was very submissive. That she went on to react to the circumstances is a different story. So, I had to unlearn a lot and start thinking differently. It was not easy to play that woman who sees a man physically abusing the girl child she wants to protect as the same man who had abused her few years ago. For me to get into that mould, I needed aloofness. And I did a lot of physical preparation too.
Ghada uthake main chalti thi nange pair Aram Nagar (Versova) mein for 2 hours every day, taki main apne talve strong kar sakun. I even carried weight on my back as I had to carry the girl child in the film.
Mirchi kaise koodte hain, sigdi pe khaana banana - it was all new for me.
'Saand Ki Aankh' was another challenge; wherein I had to bring in a lot of 'mamta' inside me. I imbibed a few things from my nani and some from the real Chandro dadi. Like, I studied my nani's mannerisms when she used to get angry.
Woh chaati ko chaudha karke chalna was taken from Chandro dadi. Then, I had to learn the Jat language and above all, the pistol shooting. To feel it more, I had started calling people older than me as beta.
You do these films with messages, that's fine. But do these questions arise in your mind: Will the audience accept me? Will I be read as a preacher? Will the pace of the movie be slow?Of course. Yes, I do have these questions in mind. I had them in every film, even in 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' and 'Pati, Patni Aur Woh'. The whole film is not in the hands of an actor and the film is only good if there's synchrony in all departments, which is rare.
You have often spoken about liking the idea of looking good and ironically, you mainly play characters which have you in simple clothes and hardly any make-up. How does that dichotomy play out, especially with the fashion police always on the prowl?It's fine in movies because you are often playing the same character throughout the film. But when it comes to real life, I dress up for myself and not for an individual who has something to say about it. If I like wearing make-up and spend two hours in front of my cupboard, it's therapeutic.
But how can it be therapeutic if and when you're slammed for a particular outfit or make-up?But that's one person, na? That person is doing a job. One bad outfit in someone's eyes, how does it matter? Every day there's a picture, every day there's a comment- how does it matter? And sometimes, I even agree with what has been written.
Are you particular that you don't repeat an outfit when you go out in public? The fashion police writes about that too...I am not very particular. I don't keep an account of such things. I am a very climate conscious person. The whole world should get rid of this thing that we cannot repeat an outfit. FYI, the T-shirt I am wearing now has been worn by me five times before during the lockdown. The people who are trolling me for such things are also the people who repeat their clothes. I am happy being judged for repeating a dress. As actors, we are role models. I don't want to be sending out a message to any young girl that she should not repeat a dress after she has donned it once.
Is Bhumi a person who will discard an outfit that has been criticised by the fashion police more than once?No. I care only about my performances. I have stopped seeing which section of the media has commented about my outfit. That same media house will like something that I have worn tomorrow. Where there's love, there's hate. So honestly, why fret?
Having come a long way, you must be seeing that it's still not equal out there. Heroines are paid lesser than the heroes...Oh, yes. There is a lot of pay disparity. Your film has to make enough money to pay you at the level you are. But unfortunately, this does not apply to the boys. A male actor, who has achieved just as much as me, will be paid more. But it will change. A few of my colleagues, who have been working before me, have been fighting for this cause and so am I.
Have you refused films because they were not giving you the remuneration that you feel you deserved?Yes. There are certain films that I have skipped. Every film has a different math. Producers do understand and there's no bitterness. I feel that since I am doing solo films that are led by me, I deserve a certain amount for the work that I am putting in; my remuneration has to be in proportion to the money that my film might make in the least. The idea that you should be paid lesser just because you are a female is just not right because I have the same responsibility towards a film as my male counterparts.
Your latest film 'Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare', produced by Ekta Kapoor and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, has earned you lots of praise...I wanted to work with Alankrita. I wanted to do a film which makes it to the festival circuits. And there was preparation here, too (smiles). I had to shed all my maturity because I play a 21-year-old who is extremely naive. I interacted with a lot of young girls at length- those who have worked with me in the past or work with me now, and some cousins too.
But you could have taken cues from your own young age...(Smiles) I did. 21/22 is an age which you cannot forget- you create your own world, your own morals, and you make mistakes that shape your future. I went back to the days when I was in my early 20s and very gutsy - like not taking the traditional route of education and yet completing it, rebelling at home and joining films.
Your most difficult scene so far?The one in 'Sonchiriya'- the big confrontation scene before the interval where my son slaps me. I was so much into the character that I felt very humiliated. It shook me up.
Hope it was over in one take...There were a few takes (smiles) since it was a collaborative scene with other actors in it too.
Have you ever felt that after having done so many intense films, you should do a light role?I won't be happy doing just two songs. Why should I do something that makes me unhappy? I want a sense of ownership in the films I do.
Do you feel hurt or angry when the masala films with bigger actors draw more numbers than yours?You do feel disappointed if and when your film doesn't draw sufficient numbers. In my case, such instances have not been too many - maybe 'Sonchiriya' and 'Saand Ki Aankh' but 'Saand Ki Aankh' gave me lots of appreciation. Thankfully, I have not yet been a part of any film that has been thrashed. I want to leave behind a legacy of good films. If I look back at 'Rangeela', 'DDLJ' or 'Kabhi Kabhie', I look at them with so much awe and fondness but I do not know how much money they amassed.
With so many films going on OTT in the corona period, have you realised that producers will have two options now to release their films – in theatres and on streaming platforms?Hence, it has become important to work with people you trust, more so for now in the near future. It will be very wrong if a producer says that he's making it for theatres and ends up selling it to an OTT platform simply because he's getting good money.
You seem quite kicked about OTT. Will we ever see you in a web show, soon?Zarroor karenge but filhaal nahi. I am very happy with the films I am doing currently.