Young actor Bhumi Pednekar says she is fortunate to be nominated in the Best Debut Actor (Female) category in the upcoming Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016 for her role in the film Dum Laga Ke Haisha.
From putting on 30 kgs for a first-time role as Ayushmann Khurrana’s plus-sized homely wife in DLKH to being back to a pretty head-turner, Mumbai’s Bhumi Pednekar is thanking her stars for the right moves she made at the beginning of her film career.
For Bhumi, the role served as the perfect platform to make her mark. Eating and acting were the parameters of cracking this role and the 25-year-old did it perfectly. There were days when she woke up to butter chicken for breakfast and was pampered and fed all the time. In an industry where plus size leads to body-shaming and a low self esteem, Bhumi took the chance and got it just right. She has already swept all the major debut awards including the prestigious Filmfare Awards. She has been nominated in Best Debut Actor (Female) category in TOIFA 2016.
Speaking to Instep, Bhumi remarked, “Firstly. I would like to thank TOIFA for nominating me. It’s an honour for me to be sharing space with actors that have given great performances. When your work is appreciated, it just motivates you to do better. And specially for your first film, which in itself is very special.”
“DLKH changed my life. It has given me a chance to make a career out of the only thing I know and love to do,” she added. “To get a chance to work with such a phenomenal director and team is very rare and I am really indebted to Adi sir (Aditya Chopra), Sharat (Director Sharat Katariya) and Maneesh (Producer Maneesh Sharma) for giving me this chance and making this life-changing movie.”
Bhumi, who is now back in shape, is busy shooting for her next film Manmarziyan with Ayushmann Khurrana where she plays a young Punjabi girl.
As for TOIFA 2016, they are scheduled to take place in Dubai, on the 18th of March, with stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez signed on to perform. Superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan will also attend the ceremony.
– By Sadiq Saleem
The writer is a UAE based entertainment journalist.
He can be contacted on his page fb/sidsaidso.