Miss heartland cinema, like playing characters that are away from me: Bhumi Pednekar

Mumbai, Sep 25 (PTI) Actor Bhumi Pednekar, who has appeared in a string of glamorous roles recently such as “The Royals”, and “Thank You For Coming”, says it’s the stories of heartland India that challenge and let her experiment as an actor.

Speaking at a session on day one of India Today Conclave 2025 here, Bhumi said she misses stories that are rooted in different places of the country.

“As an actor, I miss heartland cinema. My heart is there, and you realise that once you experiment, and I’ve experimented. I like playing characters that are away from me, I learn a new dialect, and go to a place where there’s no hotel and there’s challenges in shooting, but those things teach me a lot about life,” the actor said.

At the same time, Bhumi said she doesn't want to limit herself as an artiste.

“I’ve loved what I’ve done recently. Like in ‘The Royals’, I enjoyed (playing) a girl that was close to who I’m. I was experimenting with the wardrobe. I don’t want to box myself as type A or B, I’m everything. I need to have the ability and the freedom to do whatever I want to,” she added.

Pednekar, who started out as an assistant casting director at Yash Raj Films, made her debut in acting with the studio’s 2015 movie “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”.

Some of her subsequent films were small-town stories including “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan”, “Bala”, “Saand Ki Aankh”, “Badhaai Do” and “Bhakshak”.

The actor, who recently completed ten years in the industry, said she always took on challenging roles.

“I started as a gawky teenager in Yash Raj Films and I had huge dreams, aspirations, I wanted to be a heroine in Hindi film industry, and I’ve done that. When I started, I was seeking recognition, opportunities, and acceptance, but today I’m seeking purpose and impact. That’s how I’ve evolved as an actor and individual.

"In my ten-year career, I’ve tried to challenge every mould that I’ve created for myself, I’m constantly transforming myself physically, and I’m trying to challenge the status quo. No amount of dissent is going to stop me from doing this.”   Going forward, Pednekar said she only wants to focus on doing quality work.

“At this point, I’ve no professional and personal life balance, it is zero, working for 20 to 22 hours a day, I'm a pressure junkie.

  "The actor in me is never going to stop, for me it’s not about the number of films that I do, it’s not a quantity game anymore as it was, I thought that was the only way to survive (earlier) but today it’s all about quality for everything that comes out,” she added. PTI KKP RB RB