Bhumi Pednekar’s entry into films is almost like lore. She did not queue up for auditions, but conducted them as she assisted Yash Raj Films' casting director, Shaanu Sharma. Till one day, she was chosen to do a role. As an overweight Sandhya in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2014), opposite Ayushmann Khurrana, Pednekar won hearts with her acting chops and small-town innocence. She transformed herself completely. In the four years since, she has only proven her worth as an actor who matters, picking up roles that standout and performing them with conviction. In 2018, she was seen only in Lust Stories on Netflix, portraying the character of a house-help, Sudha, for which she got raving reviews. In 2019, she has two films—Abhishek Chaubey’s Sonchiriya (set in 1975-Chambal, is the story of a gang of dacoits in the ravines) and Alankrita Shrivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare, as she also starts working on Karan Johar’s period drama Takht.
She talks to THE WEEK about her upcoming project, how she prepares for her characters and why she thinks people in Mumbai live in a bubble while an alternate reality exists elsewhere in the country.
In the public memory, the last character, which comes close to what you are doing in Sonchiriya would be Seema Biswas’s in Bandit Queen (1994). The release of the film is still a few weeks away. What can you tell us about it right now?
Yes. I think people would like to go back to her because that is too strong a story coming out of that landscape and so is ours. This film is set in 1975. It is a period drama. What attracted me the most towards the film, apart from the fact that [Abhishek] Chaubey was directing it, was the fact that everything that we show in the film is very relevant even today. This film is a big comment on the caste system and the status of women in our country. It is heartbreaking, but a lot has not changed over the last 40 to 45 years. The beauty of the film is that Chaubey has said this in a quirky, action-packed, revenge, adventurous-thriller drama. I know I have used a lot of words, but they all are very true to what Sonchiriya is. We are speaking of such dark human things that happen, but the film is so hopeful. This only comes from Chaubey’s finesse as a filmmaker.
I remember the first time he called me and I could not believe that he is calling me to be a part of his film. In 1975, there was a lot of suppression in the society. We cannot even imagine that, especially in an area like Chambal, which is lawless, harsh (clenches her teeth). When I went there now, I realised that as a society, they have not moved on a lot, which is [the case with] 70 per cent of India. I can only imagine how bad it must have been back then.
And the film has such an ensemble cast.
It was so exciting for me to know I would be working with Sushant (Singh Rajput), Manoj (Bajpayee) sir and Ranvir (Shorey). I think Sushant is one of the finest actors we have. I was blown away by what he did in Dhoni and Kai Po Che. I felt here is an actor who definitely puts in a lot. Manoj sir is an institution in himself. Ranvir is also one of the finest actors in the country. Plus, Chaubey’s direction and Sudip’s (Sharma) writing. I told myself, “Bhumi, you really have to up your game to match these people’.
What were the experiences shooting for the film?
When you watch the trailer, you will know that the language is very authentic to the area. It is Bundelkhandi. It is not a dialect that we have picked up; it is a language. The first time I heard it, I was anxious and thought to myself, ‘how am I going to do it?’ Learning a dialect and picking up nuances is still easier, learning a separate language all-together is tough. There is this very amazing gentleman, Ram Diwakar, who is also playing a very important part in the film. He is from the area and trained us for two months to speak the language.
I remember Chaubey telling us during the narration that there is going to be a lot of hard work on this film because of the terrain that we were going to work on. You cannot shoot on this terrain if you are not physically strong, if you are not mentally and emotionally strong. It was not until I went to Chambal that I realised what he meant. It is kilometres of just barren, hilly, rocky, dusty land. It is a legit maze. Back in the days, they used to say that if you get lost in the bihad (ravines) of Chambal, you are not going to come out. And it is true.
Some of our locations were 20 minutes away and we would have to walk. If you wanted to use the bathroom, you had to walk back that distance. On the way, we used to see dead bodies of animals, carcasses, skeletons, and lots of dust. On some days, I would go back and there would be lot of brown water out of my body; my nose, ears, hands and legs would be torn; and getting hurt had no reaction. A thorn in my foot would mean nothing. And, I am a Mumbai-bred girl. Something like this happening in Mumbai would have been followed with a reaction like, ‘oh my god, I need a tetanus shot’ (laughs). This film just changed everything for us. I would walk kilometres barefoot with 10 kilos on my back, matkas (pots) full of 10 litres of water, just to become physically capable of managing in that terrain. It was prep for my character. Women from that era, from this world, know how to do this. Their lives were so strenuous and they were so suppressed. They never had a voice.
You have done films with characters from small-town milieu (Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha), films that probably transport you to a different world altogether. What changed in you while portraying such characters?
I am getting goose bumps! I think, with Sonchiriya specifically, and every other character that I have done, I have become less privileged in my head. They have made me more humane. They have given me the ability to empathise with people and not sympathise. They have made me understand that everything is not black or white, things are grey too. When I was younger, a typical Mumbai kid… (pauses). Actually I was never a typical Mumbai kid because my mum’s village is in Haryana, my grandparents lived in Jaipur, which back then was not as progressed as Mumbai was in the 90s. I have had a shared deal of basic living while growing up. As a kid, I would be damn upset about it, about staying in a place where the electricity keeps going, and the basic things were not available like they were in Mumbai. I could not eat Maggi.
Now, after growing up, I have realised that experience really kept us grounded. Every character of mine has made me realise that it is very easy to sit here and pinpoint at a woman and say: ‘Why is she taking the man’s crap? Come on, empower yourself. Go hit him.’ But, it is easier said than done. I am strong because my parents have instilled that kind of independence, that kind of strength in me that they will be behind me when I hit a man. But the women from the other parts of the country do not know this. That is what my character is in Sonchiriya. She belongs to such a suppressed society that to take the steps that she does, is nothing less than being a superhero.
Now that you have seen this world so closely, do you feel that people in modern cities or metros are living in a bubble?
Hundred per cent! Not all people are living in a bubble, but people who belong to the households like mine that live in comfortable houses, which have access to everything. When I did Toilet…, I mentioned that I lived in a bubble. For me, not having a bathroom was only limited to the time I did a trip from Mumbai to Goa, and that there wasn’t a bathroom on the highway. I did not understand the kind of turmoil a woman goes through when she has to walk kilometres, scared that somebody might film her, rape her or that she might be bit by a snake. It is unhealthy. It takes a toll on her self-respect. Empowerment does not mean that I am going to wear short clothes and walk around. That is a choice. For most women, this is not even on their radar. For women from the strata [I am talking about], empowerment truly means that when they see some kind of physical, emotional violence that happens to them or their ecosystem, they have the courage to wake up to that. That’s true empowerment.
Since you play characters far removed from what you are and the life you have lived, what is your process? Something like playing a house-help in Lust Stories (in Zoya Akhtar’s short film), which I immensely loved.
Thank you! I love prepping (laughs). I was cleaning and sweeping for a lot of days. Now, every girl that works with me in my house as the house help, is my friend. That film changed my life. As far as prepping goes, I do not lock myself up in a room. But I just try picking up the language, try and match my daily chores to the character, and try removing a lot of other aspects from my life. Specifically, for Sonchiriya, I had to get rid of any kind of ego, pride and independence. The only thing that I kept with me is a lot of faith, not even courage. Everything that she does and every outcome of it is not something that is planned. It just happened. I think most women work with that faith that tomorrow is going to be better. I remember in Bandit Queen, it opens with the lines that among a woman, vessel, animals, and a person from a lower-caste, the status of the woman is the lowest. It was a very big quote for me that I kept through the process of working on the film.
Did you watch Bandit Queen to prep for this?
Millions of times. It was my biggest reference point. I was not looking for any kind of learning or any kind of character arc. I just wanted to know what their lives are like. Bandit Queen is a very authentic film to understand that landscape and that era. I needed to know to what level the harshness of that land is. The distinction between castes, the disparity between the rich and the poor, which again stems from caste, the difference between genders, and what the outcome of that can be.
You started your career at Yash Raj Studios, which is known for making dreamy-romantic, fantasy world films. Do you want to get into that character zone? Do you feel tired of doing the realistic characters that you are doing?
I definitely want to do that [a Yash Raj brand film]. And, doing these characters [that I am doing] are exhausting as well. But every film requires hard work. It is not that in Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan, I did not put in hard work. None of these girls were Bhumi. Bhumi is a Juhu girl, from a very sheltered family. Yes, a family that worked very hard to get where they are. Playing an urban character is very easy for me. Playing the other parts is very tough. Both Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Toilet… were set in the heartland, but were love stories—hence, lighter. I think Sonchiriya is the most hard-hitting film that I have done.
Did the character stay with you longer than you expected?
It is still not out of me. This character has changed my life, and I am not going to be the same any more. It triggered a kind of maternal instinct in me, which I did not know existed.
These changes that you mention, have people around you noticed it?
My mum thought I have grown up, finally! I have always been a mature girl, but at home you become a child. But she did see a change this time. I have become nicer. I have become more patient. I think I have just become softer. At the same time, it has given me a lot of strength.
Do you ever feel that you are being typecast?
Not at all. I have got a variety of roles; the only thing common is that they all are real Indian women. Maybe that would not be the right way to describe it, either. In Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, I played an urban girl. An urban girl does not have to be someone who wears a jeans and t-shirt, but someone who is celebrated in her family irrespective of the geographical location. In that sense, even Toilet… and Dum…, for me, were urban characters because of the way they think. All my characters are very distinct in their path, and that is why I keep getting more of these films. If I was ever typecast, I would not have got Sonchiriya, or may be whatever I am doing next.
Which would be Karan Johar’s Takht. What does getting that film mean to you?
I have loved Karan’s films since I was very little. And, it really is a dream come true. I caannot sum it up. I do not know what will it be, how will it be but he is a brilliant human being. I am very fond of him, and feel really fortunate to be a part of his film.
You do not have too many films releasing every year like many other actors.
That was because in 2017, I had two back-to-back releases, and all of 2018 I was shooting. The first three years, you need some time to get into that momentum. I think now that momentum has caught on. And I am very selective when it comes to my work. But this year, after Sonchiriya, there might be two more films releasing. Next year also looks like three-four releases. Now, I am just constantly shooting and it is just about them coming out.
