Bhumi Pednekar, the talented actor known for her powerful performances in films like Bhadhai Do, Bhakshak, Toilet Ek Prem Katha and more, isn’t mincing words when it comes to her dislike for the term female-led projects. In a recent interview, she expressed her frustration with the notion that films or content centred around women are immediately labelled as such.
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Hindustan Times reported that according to Bhumi, this labelling is not only annoying but also misguided. She firmly believes that gender shouldn’t dictate people’s viewing preferences. As she put it, “Audiences want to see good cinema, and good content. They aren’t choosing to watch it based on gender. It’s ridiculous” Drawing from her own experience, Bhumi highlighted how she has built a successful career portraying strong women on screen. She emphasized that her success is not due to the gender of the characters she portrays but rather the quality of the roles and performances. “I got lucky because I started working at a time that coincided with how women characters were being written for cinema,” she explained.
Bhumi further backed up her argument by citing the success of her film “Bhakshak,” which tackled issues of patriarchy and social justice. Despite being centred around a female protagonist, the film resonated with audiences worldwide and became a massive hit. “Such a project should have never become a hit if the audience were selecting to watch male-actor-driven projects,” she pointed out.
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In Bhumi’s view, it’s time for filmmakers to invest more in projects led by women and give them the same budget and scale as male-led projects. She referenced successful films like “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha,” “Lust Stories,” and “Saand Ki Aankh,” which had women driving the narrative and achieved commercial success. “So, I feel it’s high time we discard all misconceptions and back projects led by women and give it the scale and mounting that we truly deserve,” she concluded.
Bhumi Pednekar’s outspoken stance sheds light on the importance of recognizing talent and storytelling prowess regardless of gender. As audiences continue to demand diverse and engaging content, it’s essential for the industry to embrace and support projects led by women.