As the day progressed at the inaugural edition of ‘Women of Impact’ by celebrated journalist – Barkha Dutt, several powerful voices spotlighted crucial topics right from body image issues to dealing with nepotism. One such luminary was leading Indian film actress – Bhumi Pednekar.
Bhumi Pednekar joined Barkha for a heart-to-heart, sharing instances from her childhood, the time she informed her mother about her aspiration to be an actor at the age of 12/13 to experiencing grand success in the industry with her intense on-screen performances. Recalling a moment from her school days which scared her due to bullying, Bhumi shared “I remember this incident very well when I went back into my class and there was like a piece of paper that had ‘BBB’ written on it and I tried to decipher it, it stood for big boobs Bhumi. You know when you’re young these things really impact you.”
Speaking on roles she might not do or aspects she might not compromise on, the actress said
“What I would not compromise on is that I would not do a character where there is disrespect to my gender. I wouldn’t do that. But I still probably have lesser to do and I just don’t enjoy that because I think that’s not something the audience expects out of me. I have worked very very hard into creating a space for myself which is led by performance.”
Dhurandhar fame Ayesha Khan was also present at ‘Women of Impact’ in Mumbai, joining Barkha Dutt for an impactful conversation about combatting stereotypes, encountering body shaming and sexual objectification. The actress also narrated an incident wherein she was rejected from a T-Series song at the last minute due to her ‘size.’