Bhumi Pednekar continues breaking stereotypes

Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar has broken stereotypes even before the release of her debut film “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, a content-driven movie which was critically-acclaimed and fetched her a Filmfare award for best debut female actor. And now she wants to smash more stereotypes including gender discrimination in the family.

After “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, the actress chose films like “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” and “Shubh Mangal Savdhan”, both of which talked about unconventional subjects carrying key social messages.

At the 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India 2017, Pednekar spoke extensively about women breaking stereotypes during a candid conversation with movie buffs and her fans in Goa on Saturday.

Pednekar said, “Being overweight was linked to being depressed for a long time and I was happy that a film like 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' changed that thinking.”

“Post 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', I was offered around 24 scripts but the roles offered weren't good enough for me to even consider. I waited for the right opportunity and the perfect script. I grabbed films like 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' and 'Shubh Mangal Savdhan' because they were important roles written for an actress. I feel myself lucky if I can make a difference to even one life through the films that I do,” she said.

During the question-answer session, Pednekar, responding to a question whether she would like to do films that carry a social message, said, “As an individual you cannot avoid your responsibilities.”

Asked what sort of stereotypes she would like to break in personal life, she responded that she would like to get rid of gender differences. “Even today, 'ghar ka chiraag' (light in the house) is understood to be the boy.”

Replying to another question, Pednekar said the characters in her film were progressive by thoughts and not by clothes.