Won't reject a film due to fear of being stereotyped: Bhumi

Mumbai: Bhumi Pednekar says she will not let go of a good role due to the fear of being typecast. The 28-year-old actor made her debut with 2015 film Dum Laga Ke Haisha, where she played a small-town girl who battles patriarchy.

In her upcoming projects, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bhumi appears to be portraying similar characters. "I have thought about getting stereotyped. But I am not going to miss out on a role because I am scared that people will only see me as a small-town girl," the actor said.

Bhumi says she has worked hard at making her characters stand apart and hopes the audiences appreciate her effort. "It's a bigger challenge for me to make every character
different. They belong to the same economic stratum and are courageous... This is the only similarity. I really hope people don't feel the characters are same because I've tried recreating myself in all these films by staying true to my character."

Bhumi says watching diverse cinema has influenced her choice of films. "I think I naturally have a tendency to pick such roles. I've been brought up in an environment where we were made socially responsible at a very young age. The kind of films we were exposed to, while growing up, were more niche.

"The kind of taste I developed as an audience was more towards meaningful films that were entertaining. So, I naturally tend to pick up characters which have some strength," she adds.
Bhumi is glad that films today offer well-etched characters to women.

"In the last five years, there has been such a huge change in the kind of roles written for women and the kind of films coming out. Even the audience is open today to watch good films and content is the king. They are intelligent and exposed to world cinema."

Her latest, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, where she will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar, will release next week, followed by Shubh Mangal Saavdhan in September. Bhumi features opposite her Dum Laga Ke... co-star Ayushmann Khurrana in Shubh... and she hopes the movie recreates the magic.

"I really hope it has that sort of an impact. Dum Laga Ke Haisha was an endearing love story and Shubh... is about this sweet couple, madly in love but they have there a situation which is going on (referring to story of the film). But it's a family entertainer."