With films on sex, sanitation, and body positivity, Bhumi’s choice of roles is placing her in a position of power
In the opening scene of Bhumi Pednekar’s last film, Lust Stories (2018), you don’t see her face, you just hear her moan. Her feet are up in the air, a man is on top of her and there is enough sexual energy in the scene to make the best of Bollywood viewers do a double take.
Bhumi Pednekar may be just four films old, but she is being looked at as the new bold face of Bollywood (Styling by Mohit Rai; assisted by Shannon Tanwani and Miloni Shah; make-up by Sonik Sarwate; hair by Florian Hurel, The Artist Factory; location courtesy: The St. Regis Mumbai)(Photos shot exclusively for HT Brunch by Abheet Gidwani)
Bhumi made her debut with the Yashraj film Dum Laga Ke Haisha (Abheet Gidwani)
“I don’t have an issue with showing skin. I have an issue with vulgarity, objectifying my body parts and character assassination.”
Bhumi was nervous about the kind of reactions that her sex scene in Lust Stories would evoke from the audience. (Tank top, Zara; jacket, Ikai by Ragini Ahuja; shorts, Balmain (via Mytheresa); earrings, Misho; ring, Varnika Arora) (Abheet Gidwani)
“I believe in what Lady Gaga said, ‘Your career is never going to wake up one morning and tell you it doesn’t love you anymore!’”
“I was scared people would put clips [of the sex scene from Lust Stories] online, nobody did. It shows how mature our audiences now are…”
Bhumi started her career working as a casting assistant at Yashraj Films. (Dress, Self-Portrait (viaMytheresa); earrings, Vinitha Michael; ring, Varnika Arora; shoes, Lulu & Sky) (Abheet Gidwani)
“Shubh Mangal showed how erectile dysfunction was not just a man’s problem; in India, it’s a family issue!”
Bhumi says that she is aware of her imperfections and is not so burdened with them . (Jacket, Deme by Gabriella; skirt, Off-white (via Mytheresa); ring, Misho) (Abheet Gidwani)
