At a time, when new girls walk into Hindi films in the skimpiest of clothes, this actress made an unconventional debut in a glamourless, salwar kameez-clad role with Tere Naam. Having seen immense success down South, the actress is choosy about her Hindi films.
In a free-wheeling chat, Bhumika Chawla talks about Family, her next release and her life in the film industry …
Excerpts from the Interview:
Family - Ties of Blood is the much-awaited film from AB Corp Ltd and this is your first film with them. How excited or apprehensive were you while doing the film?
I wasn’t apprehensive at all. In fact, I had a great time. It was also a very good experience for me to be working with such big names from the Hindi film industry. This was my second film with Amitji after Dil Jo Bhi Kahey and it was a treat to work under the direction of Rajkumar Santoshi, a maker everyone wants to be associated with.
You seem to be the most fortunate actor to have worked with Amitabh Bachchan in two films out of your six Hindi films till date.
Yes, I consider it my privilege. (Smiles) I am the chosen one.
How did you feel when you had to face the camera with him for the first time?
We have become friends now. But my first shot for Dil Jo Bhi Kahey was with Amitji. As I played a doctor, in the scene, I had to tell him about his wife’s condition who had been hospitalised. I had rehearsed my lines thoroughly and when I was certain of not making an error, I walked onto the sets and was ready to give the shot. But when I came face to face with Amitji, I forgot my lines. I think this happens with everyone who comes within his proximity. Embarrassed, I apologised and said, ‘Please give me two minutes’. He replied, ‘Don’t worry. Take your time.’ I went to a corner, practiced my lines again and before going back to give the shot, thought to myself that there are two ways about doing it: either I make mistakes and go on giving 20 takes or think that I am facing another actor and not a big personality like Amitabh Bachchan. I thought the second one was a good idea and I went ahead. To everyone’s surprise, the shot was okayed in the first take and Amitji was impressed. He said, ‘Very good’.
You didn’t have any inhibitions about him after that.
Of course not because after that we bonded and became good friends. But before that I was a little perturbed. Who isn’t? He is such a big name, a thorough professional and a great human being.
When I was shooting with Abhishek Bachchan for Run, not once did Amitji visit the sets which was quite surprising. So,I never had the privilege of meeting him then. My first meeting with him was when I was invited by Abhishek for holi at their house. Since I don’t party much and had just one Hindi release to my credit, nobody recognised me there. I went in quietly and introduced myself to Amitji. He was gracious and after sometime when I went back to say goodbye, he said, ‘My child, don’t leave so soon. Enjoy yourself first.’ But since I was feeling awkward in the crowd, I left quietly after sometime. Next I met him was for a few minutes before starting the shooting of Dil Jo Bhi Kahey in Mauritius.
And like so many, you too seem to be one of his fans …
Who isn’t? Amitji is so brilliant. I am amazed at his energy and determination. For a 64-year-old, he can put any youngster to shame with his enthusiasm and punctuality.
That’s true. This is your first film with Rajkumar Santoshi. Was he a tough task master?
On the contrary. Rajji is such a perfectionist. He would explain each shot in such detail. He is like a school teacher. Very systematic. He took care of every detail like the lights, setup, costumes, etc. He would not tire even after 10-15 retakes but would go on till the shot was to his satisfaction. When I was not getting an emotional scene right even after ten takes and kept putting glycerine in my eyes, he came to me and said ‘Think this is happening to you in real life. Feel the pain’ and next, the shot was okayed.
For him, work is worship. When he is on the sets he hates to be disturbed or distracted. Neither does he want his artistes’ attention to be diverted. If there is disturbance or people are moving around on the sets while he is canning a shot, he prefers to wait till the commotion is over so that he and his artiste can concentrate on the scene. As for me, I have always wanted to work with him after watching his Lajja. I liked the way he brought out the characters and the trauma of the women in the film.
Also this is the first time you have been paired with Akshay Kumar. How was he as a co-star?
Akshay is a nice person, so full of life. Even when everyone was tired and stressed out after a day-long shoot, he would bring life into the atmosphere with his jokes ad light-hearted banter. He is also very helpful. I had great fun working with him in Family.
What was your equation with Aryeman? Did he remind you of your days as a newcomer?
Aryeman is a young boy, and like Akshay, full of life. The guys had a great time together. As an actor, he is amazing and it doesn’t feel like this is his debut film. Unlike me in Tere Naam, he was very carefree and calm. Moreso because the film is produced by his father Keshu who is a fabulous man.
With so many people in the cast, do you think you had enough scope for performance?
I don’t think anyone has any reason to complain as all got equal footage in Family. I am playing Akshay’s wife who stands by the family in good and bad times. When Rajji narrated the story to me, he said think of such a situation in your household. It can happen with anyone and I liked it so I took it up. Also working with Amitji, Rajji and Akshay was an added incentive.
Your debut film Tere Naam was a huge success. But since then you have had just six releases to your credit. Any other actor in your place would have gone on a signing spree …
I like it that way. I prefer going slow and doing good work. I don’t want to be seen all over the place, doing all sorts of films. Neither do I want to get typecast in a role. If you notice, I have portrayed different characters in all my films so far. I am also fortunate to be doing good work down South. All this keeps me busy all the time. But since I don’t party much and am not a Page 3 person, people hardly know me.
It has been three years since Tere Naam. When you look back today, how do you review your career?
I was lucky to bag Tere Naam as my debut film. It was the remake of the Tamil hit film Sethu featuring Vikram. Like its original, it did well in Hindi too. It was a wonderful experience doing the film though my role was sans make up and glamour yet it was a perfect launch pad for me.
This was followed by glamorous roles in films like Run, Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha and Silsilay…
In Run, I played the role of a gangster’s sister with whom a headstrong guy falls in love. It was almost similar to that of Nirjara in Tere Naam. I had the opportunity to work with good people like Abhishek Bachchan and Mahesh Manjrekar but unfortunately the film didn’t do too well. Again Run was a remake of a Tamil hit with the same title which was a huge success there. It was even dubbed in Telugu.
I did Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha only for Salman Khan. It was directed by his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri. Silsilay was about the lives of four women and I played a fast-rising Hindi film actress whose live-in relationship with the man who groomed her for a film career is about to break-up. The story was about the coming together of the women in an act of solidarity.
Dil Jo Bhi Kahey followed next.
For the first time, I played a doctor in the film. Entirely shot in Mauritius, it was about the cultural conflicts that exist in the society. It was fun to be working with newcomer Karan Sharma. He is a very simple and hardworking guy. Revathy too was very warm. And what else can I say about Amitji?
You began your acting career with South films. Now that you have established yourself in Hindi films, do you plan to bid goodbye to regional films?
Never. I will continue working down South till the day I decide to quit acting forever. I am indebted to South films.
You saw immense success there. Tell us more.
I have always wanted to be popular. And so I participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities where people would notice me. Nine years ago I had come to Mumbai for the first time and my cousin insisted that I send my portfolio around. Thus started the rounds for work. I began with commercials and music videos, before South films beckoned.
My first film in Telugu was Yuvagudu but it was the success of Kushi that flooded me with offers and appreciation. Also starring Pawan Kalyan, it was directed by SJ Surya for producer AM Ratnam. Okkadu, opposite Mahesh Babu, again created records followed by NTR Junior-starrer Simhadri which was a blockbuster. NTR Junior is a hot star in Andhra today and I also did Samba with him. Autograph with Ravi Teja is the remake of the Tamil film directed by Cheran; Snehamante Idera with Nagarjuna, YKS Rama Raos Vasu with Venkatesh, Vasu and Badri are some of the other films.
Missamma, the fun-filled Tamil film, also featuring Shivaji and Laya, was directed by the National award winning director Neelakanta. It was his film all the way.
Back home, what are the films in the offing?
I have a couple of releases. There is a thriller titled Benaam with Ajay Devgan to be directed by Anees Bazmee. In theatre director Feroze Khan’s Mahatma v/s Gandhi, Akshaye Khanna is my co-star. It is produced by Anil Kapoor. I also have Jai Chiranjeevi in Telugu opposite Chiranjeevi.
You recently went out of your way to help the victims of the July 26 deluge. What was the experience like?
I did not know the impact of the floods till I watched a television report and I was terribly upset looking at the condition of so many people who suffered huge losses. That is when my friend Bharat and I decided to do something rather than sit and discuss the situation. Firstly we got in touch with Sanjay Nirupam since we were not aware of how to go about it. He helped us to raise funds and instructed about the places which needed immediate help. We collected and distributed things like rice and pulses in the most-affected areas like Kalina, Vakola and Jogeshwari.
You and Bharat seem to be in the news lately …
Yeah. I like his company. I was introduced to Bharat by Satish Kaushik who thought I needed to learn yoga for a healthy living. Bharat Thakur is a yoga teacher and has written some books on the subject. He also runs institutes in India and abroad and has people like Satish Kaushik, Anil Kapoor, Sunita Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Tara Sharma, Akshaye Khanna and some industrialists amongst his huge clientele. Though I don’t like to reveal much about my personal life, all I can say is the Bharat is a good friend with whom I can discuss anything under the sun. He understands me very well. There are times when we only play ludo, monopoly, chess or other such games for hours together or we watch television or films and are not bored in each other’s company. What I want to say here is that we are very comfortable being together without any frills. Destiny will decide our future. But right now we are happy as we are.
People forgot Bhoomika and started calling her ‘Missamma and Anasuya’ as both of them were proved runaway hits. Now, she may acquire a new name called ‘Mallepuvvu’. Though she played in some pre-historic title roles earlier, Samudra had decided to show her as ‘Mallepuvvu’ this time, as he was producing the film in his own direction. It is reliably learnt that Bhoomika would appear in a male attire in this film which is a never before in her career. Her get-up would be completely like a male. It is worth mentioning here that top heroines of yesteryears like Jayalalitha, Vijayalalitha, Vijayanirmala and Vijayashanti played such roles and almost all those films were super hits. Now, it is the turn of Bhoomika to play one such role. Illayaraja is scoring music for the flick. If everything goes well, the film is all set for release in July.
Tollywood director Shoban died of a heart attack while narrating a film story. The 38-year-old actor-turned-director had gone to the residence of Telugu heroine Bhumika Chawla in Madhapur on Monday evening to talk about an upcoming project. However, while narrating the story of the film, Shoban complained of chest pain and collapsed. Bhumika and her husband, Bharat Thakur, immediately rushed him to the Image Hospital in Madhapur. But doctors could not save his life.