‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ wasn’t just a movie for me it was a movie that gave me family, which doesn’t happen with every movie. I’m friends with most of them now and we’re all still in touch. When a director is so clear, it automatically becomes easy for everyone to follow. What made the whole set a happy place was the fact that he, as a director, knew what he wanted to do. He guided me through the film beautifully. I was eating kachori, papdi chaat and what not. It was very stressful for me because it was my first film but I had such a fun cast and they were all so supportive! We were constantly cracking up between takes. We used to look forward to getting to the sets every day.
We had so much fun! It would anyway be memorable to me because it was my first film but the cast and crew of the film went on like a house on fire. Fortunately, every time we have worked together, our films have done beautifully. I have worked with her as much as I have worked with Ayushmann. And later, because our chemistry was so cracking, Sharat asked her to play my mother in the movie. Over the course of a few months, we created a woman who was right next to what Sharat wanted. So through her and mine’s experiences, we built the character, working around the canvas that Sharat had given us. He literally taught me many household chores. We never did any lines, and we never sat on any scenes we used to discuss life experiences. It was very important for her to transform me into that girl. ‘I was shocked but that’s what broke the ice between us. There are some dirty utensils out there in the kitchen, start cleaning them. When I got to her house, she went, ‘Tie your dupatta. I remember the first day when she called me to her house, she told me to wear something Indian. Obviously, everyone knows what a great actress is. Seema ma’am was not part of the film when Sharat sir had brought her aboard the ship as my teacher. Not many know that you were trained for the role of Sandhya by your on-screen mother Seema Pahwa. That gave me the confidence of having just bagged the role on merit. But I’m glad I had to go through that process and prove myself even more because I was an employee. I had to go through two and a half months of auditioning because Sharat is a very fair man. In fact, I heard many of those women myself and also went through a very difficult audition process myself. I really wanted to be an actor and I’ve said time and time again. I would like to believe that you need to channel what you really want in life. Do you feel it all came together at just the right time for you? You were chosen from 100 women who auditioned for the role. The script was penned about 8-9 years before release. So, I had to make sure I did complete justice to the part that Sharat had written because it was really beautiful. Around that time I was literally a toddler. This is the time before globalization strikes us and before the internet happens. It was not only set in a beautiful little town in India but it was also a different era. I was scared because I was inherently a city girl I just wanted to fit into the character. I got rid of them all while I was preparing for it. There are many social convictions for a girl there is such a high beauty that is forced upon us when we are very young. It was such a big physical transformation that I went through it. Were you concerned about playing Sandhya?Īll the impressions I had for the role disappeared when I was preparing for it. I feel a sense of gratitude for what the film has given me and the journey I have had thereafter.
When I read the script of ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, I knew there was something special but ultimately, when you’re in the project, you don’t really know how things are going to turn out. Fortunately, I had worked plenty of years behind the camera and started very young. At that time, what really mattered was that I had a chance. When you’re making your first film, you have no idea how it’s going.
Extracts…ĭid you anticipate receiving so much appreciation for your first film? Today, as the film completes six years of release and the actress celebrates six years in the industry, ETimes catches up with the actress for an exclusive interview, where she shares her memories, her experience of working on the film, and most commended her for her performance. But ever since then, there has been no looking back. Bhumi Pednekar made Bollywood’s unconventional first appearance with Sharat Kataria’s ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.