Bhumi Pednekar’s foray into Bollywood with Dum Laga Ke Haisha is fondly etched into our memory. She put on weight for the role and delivered a brilliant performance, carving a niche in the world of glitz and glam. She has not looked since, climbing higher and higher on the ladder of success. She has been a part of several socially relevant and commercially successful films, entertaining the audience with her acting prowess. Bhumi Pednekar celebrates her 35th birthday today, July 18.
On the occasion of her turning a day older, let’s take a look at some of her top films. Bhumi Pednekar’s Top 10 Films:
1-Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Bhumi Pednekar marked her debut with this 2015 romantic comedy opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. She won hearts as Sandhya, an academically brilliant and good-natured person. Despite being ignored and unloved by her husband because of being overweight, she holds her ground and is confident, challenging the persistent beauty norms. Helmed by Sharat Kataria, the film received several awards
2-Bhakshak
In this crime thriller film, Bhumi Pednekar played the role of journalist, Vaishali Singh, who discovers dark secrets about a shelter home for homeless girls. Directed by Pulkit, Bhakshak is inspired by true events and also features Sanjay Mishra and Aditya Srivastava in pivotal roles. Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the film premiered on Netflix.
3-Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
The 2017 comedy-drama starred Bhumi Pednekar and Akshay Kumar in the lead roles. Bhumi essayed the role of Jaya, who leaves her husband after discovering that he does not have a toilet at his home. This Shree Narayan Singh directorial was a huge success that highlighted the lack of sanitation in rural areas.
4-Bala
Backed by Maddock Films, Bala spreads the message of self-love and accepting who you are. In the film, Bhumi Pednekar played Latika, a dark-skinned girl and schoolmate of Ayushmann Khurrana’s character Bala. Despite being made fun of she was proud to be a person of colour. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the comedy-drama film also featured Yami Gautam in a crucial role.
5-Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Bhumi Pednekar and Ayushmann Khurrana once again joined forces for this romantic comedy by RS Prasanna. The film follows the life of Mudit (Ayushmann) and Sugandha (Bhumi) who want to get married but their relationship undergoes a setback when Sugandha discovers Mudit is suffering from erectile dysfunction.
6-Saand Ki Aankh
The 2019 biographical drama film also featured Taapsee Pannu in the lead alongside Bhumi Pednekar. The film was based on the lives of real-life sharpshooters Prakashi and Chandro Tomar who first fired a pistol in their 60s. The film was directed by Tushar Hiranandani and produced by Anurag Kashyap.
7-Pati Patni Aur Woh
Directed by Mudassar Aziz, Pati Patni Aur Woh was a remake of the iconic 1978 film by BR Chopra bearing the same title. The film follows the life of Chintu Tyagi (Kartik Aaryan) who is married to Vedika (Bhumi Pednekar) but he finds himself infatuated with Tapasya (Ananya Panday) a young fashion designer. Released in 2019, the film received positive reviews from the audience and the critics.
8-Badhaai Ho
Harshvardhan Kulkarni took the director’s chair for this 2022 comedy-drama. The film explores the concept of LGBTQ+ relationships in India, same-sex marriage, and the pressure of coming out to one’s family. Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao were simply brilliant in the roles of Suman, a lesbian, and Shardul, a gay man respectively. 9-Afwaah
Bhumi Pednekar delivered a stellar performance in this political drama. The story revolves around the chance encounter between an aspiring politician and an advertising professional due to a rumour mill. This Sudhir Mishra directorial also featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sumeet Vyas in important roles.
10-Durgamati
The horror-thriller film helmed by G Ashok was an official Hindi remake of the Telugu-Tamil blockbuster Bhaagamathie. Although the film tanked at the box office, Bhumi Pednekar was the show-stealer as the protagonist Chancham possessed by an evil spirit.