In her debut film Dum Laga Ke Haisha, actress Bhumi Pednekar played a teacher based in a small town in Haridwar. She followed it up with films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and the recently released Badhaai Do, where she was seen playing a strong-spirited small-town girl. While these performances have fetched her a lot of appreciation, she has also been stereotyped for being stereotyped as a small town girl.

On being questioned about this, she replied “I don’t think representing 70% of the country can stereotype me. I want to represent them (small town girls) and would love to be a part of stories that represent them.”

On being asked what scares her, she said “What I’m wary about is repetition but that hasn’t happened so far. I’ve never had anyone telling me, ‘I’ve seen you do this before’.”

“Even if I’m playing a girl who’s from the same milieu in different films, I make sure that the ways they lead their lives are very different, and that requires a lot of unlearning about heartland India.” she said.

On being asked, if she feels that she’s getting roles which are right for her, she said “I always had films that fit into the kind of cinema that I want to do. And a lot of credit for that goes to my first film because it set the tone and path of what I want to do.”

Talking about what has changed in her seven years of career, she said “It’s been a few years that I’ve been acting but I feel like I’ve started now because there so many things about myself that I’ve begun exploring.”

Recently, Bhumi talked about working with Nawazuddin for the first time.  She always wanted to work with him and she waited long for this opportunity.

While talking to MidDay, the actress called Nawazuddin a ‘stalwart’ in cinema and ‘one of the best actors’ in the country. She also said that she is going to learn so much from him. She also said that working with Sudhir Mishra was always on her bucket list. Bhumi went on to call him an ‘actor’s dream director’.

The film will be on floors soon and will be shot in an elaborate schedule in Alwar, Rajasthan. Prior to talking about the fresh pairing, Sudhir shared in a statement, “It’s a story I have lived with for a long time and I have only worked each day to make it quirky and twisted. Beneath all of the quirkiness lies a crucial message which I want my viewers to take back home with them. Bhumi and Nawaz are both such powerhouse performers and together they bring a fresh chemistry. I can’t wait to be on set with them.”

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The actors also took to their individual social media accounts to share the same poster with different captions with their fans. Rajkummar wrote, ‘Kal aa raha hai hamara trailer. Kal Badhaai dena vaise aaj bhi dena chaho toh de sakte ho. #BadhaaiDoInCinemas Can’t keep it a secret anymore, Badhaai Do trailer out Tomorrow! #BadhaaiDoInCinemas’

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZGmo4ZpBvD/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=bd0f1396-8537-4e0e-8684-d6db61a499cb

Bhumi wrote, ‘Arre yaar, ab toh ye secret kal out ho jayega ! Kyuki kal aa raha hai hamara trailer aur hum aa rahe hai theatres main. Hey bhagwan, I am very excited’

Arre yaar, ab toh ye secret kal out ho jayega ! Kyuki kal aa raha hai hamara trailer aur hum aa rahe hai theatres main. Hey bhagwan, I am very excited 🌈❤️#BadhaaiDoTrailer #BadhaaiDoInCinemas pic.twitter.com/l69U8eEMMY

— bhumi pednekar (@bhumipednekar) January 24, 2022

Aside from Rajkummar and Bhumi, ‘Badhaai Ho’ will likewise include actors like Seema Pahwa, Sheeba Chadha, Lovleen Mishra, Nitish Pandey, Shashi Bhushan and others. The movie is being helmed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni.

“It is sad (the effect that the restrictions have on the entertainment industry). I was really looking forward to all my releases this year. I would have at least one or two in the first quarter itself,” shares Pednekar, adding, “But human life is more important. I would really hope that my films release in the cinema hall, but it can’t happen at the cost of the virus going out of control.”

She adds, “2021 was a good year for me, when I shot four films. Even though great things were happening for me, a few months were really heartbreaking. It was a year when I along with my family fell sick, and recovered well. Now, I am very excited about all the films that I have completed. Also, this year will also be very busy with the projects that I have lined up. I am full of gratitude.”

Right now, there is a ton of uncertainty that has followed the spike in covid cases, and limitations being set in many parts of the country. Pednekar, who also got the infection of the virus, admits to being concerned.

“I hope people mask up, follow everything that government is saying… all the protocols. We have already seen some important states go into the yellow level of restriction. There are children who started going to schools. More than us, for the younger generation, we should kind of take on some responsibility and make sure that they don’t go through the last few years again,” says the actress.

“If you have learned anything from the past, it is that we can’t let the third wave be as fatal as the second wave happen again. Economy needs to run and for us and we as people need to make sure that whatever we do, we do it responsibly so that the economy can run,” she ends.