In a candid chat with Neha Dhupia on No Filter Neha 5, Bhumi Pednekar opened up about her Bollywood debut, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, and how she had to work really hard to get the role.
Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in a still from Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha
Most of us may have seen Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar's first movie together - Dum Laga Ke Haisha - directed by Sharat Katariya. It was also Bhumi's debut Bollywood movie, and the actress really shone in her role as an overweight teacher who is married to a leaner, lesser-educated Ayushmann.
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On the latest episode of JioSaavn's #NoFilterNeha Season 5, Bhumi Pednekar spoke about her debut and how she didn't get the role after just one audition. She shared, "I always wanted to be an actor, but you know when you're suddenly in your teens, you're like, 'Okay, maybe I can do this', because by the end of it, I wanna be in the films, maybe I can try being an AD or do something because there was no way out. I was just looking for different kinds of jobs just to be in the system. I read Dum Laga Ke Haisha and since that day I was praying everyday, but it was tough, they didn't give me the film after that one audition."
Also read: Bhumi Pednekar: I've Not Been Home Since 2016, Have Been Shooting Back To Back
She adds, "Then Sharat came in, he auditioned me for two-and-a-half months. He grilled me and he was very tough with me because he didn't want to give it to me easy and rightly so. I'm glad I earned it. So he would (audition) me for two hours, he would audition some more girls that were like contenders with me and I was auditioning new girls as well. So, we tested about 250-300 girls. It was actually a very tough time."
Bhumi also spoke about her 'acting school' for Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She shared, "Seema Pahwa, who is such a brilliant actor, played my mother in the film and we worked a lot together. So, it's like the holy trinity - Ayushmann, me and her. Whenever we get together, mostly our films work, the luck has been very good so far. She was training me and the first day I met her she's like 'Kal Salwar kameez pehenke mere ghar aa jana (Tomorrow, wear a salwar kameez and come over to my place)."
Also read: 'Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha' - Movie Review
And upon reaching Seema Pahwa's house, Bhumi had to do the unexpected! "I reached her house and voh mujhse zhadu karwa rahi he, chai banwa rahi he (she had me sweep the floor and make tea). For a month, I have cleaned her house. For a month! I kind of realised, okay, this is what real life is, until now I was living in a bubble, I need to kind of get out of my shield and experience life. And she gave me that opportunity."
Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which released in 2015, did good business at the box office. Starring Bhumi Pednekar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Seema Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Alka Amin, and Sheeba Chaddha among others, the film was released internationally as My Big Fat Bride.
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