EXCLUSIVE: Bhumi Pednekar REVEALS people thought she was ‘depressed’ when she gained weight for Dum Laga Ke Haisha

Bhumi Pednekar is one of the most talented actors out there in the Hindi film industry today. However, right from the start of her career, she has faced a lot of constant scrutiny on her weight. Her first role was of an overweight girl opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. While she had to gain weight for the role, in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble for Body Faming, the actress revealed facing body issues from a young age.

Bhumi Pednekar on being bullied and facing body shaming

Remembering her growing up years, Bhumi shared, “I was always that girl who’s on the other side of what is beautiful and accepted. I was always a plump kid. Yes, I went through a massive transformation for Dum Laga Ke Haisha. But I had faced bullying, body shaming when I was younger. I’m very fortunate that I went back home to a set of parents that made me feel like there’s nobody better than me in the world. So, it kept my confidence up and it kept me going.”

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However, even with all the support, there were moments which got the better of her. The actress said, “I had some days where I was crushed because you’re young and you’re human by the end of it. I have bad days even today. I was very conscious about the way I looked because I was just not that skinny girl. Those girls are popular and those girls have all the popular boys. I was like the only reason I won’t be ever there because you know I have those extra kilos on me. Eventually, I kind of moved past that and I found my confidence. I realized that it doesn’t matter. I have a great personality and I started killing it with that and then Dum Kaga Ke Haisha happened.”

The actress on weight gain for her debut film

Bhumi gained a lot of kilos for her part in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. But that also came with a lot of challenges. She revealed, “Even when I went through that transformation, I kid you not, in my head not a lot had changed because myfamily didn’t make me feel awkward. My friends who knew about it didn’t make me feel awkward. And those that didn’t, because I was not allowed to tell anybody, treated me like something had gone really wrong with me. They were worried, like are you depressed, is everything okay? That’s when I realized there’s so much stigma attached to your weight.”

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She added, “People see somebody who does not fit an ideal weight, which is I don’t know who has made this ideal weight and who has created this mold. It might be ideal for you but it’s not ideal for me. So, clearly that should not be the norm. But people just consider you to be unhappy, to not deserve success, to be on a backseat, be that slow, late starter in a race. But why? How can you decide these things for me?”

Bhumi spoke about her journey of battling discrimination, shared incidents where she was made to feel less. You can watch the entire chat here:

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: ‘If Shubh Mangal Saavdhan was a woman’s story, it wouldn’t have been accepted,’ says Bhumi Pednekar

Rashita Sahni

I make celebrities talk, laugh & spill the tea!
Film & Fashion Journalist | Bombay