Bhumika Chawla opines that concept of today’s time is ‘to be seen’!
#BhumikaChawla prefers keeping her personal life private. However, the #TereNaam actor is slowly opening up and has accepted the changing times it seems.
“I have been like this from the very beginning… But people can change. You have been in this industry long enough, to learn its ways. Initially, my process was about just wanting to focus on my work. When I started my career, during those days PR wasn’t as prominent as it is today. It was nice earlier. You were doing your movies and the journalists were writing about you. Today, in the times of social media, everything has become a little more different in terms of approach towards work. Earlier I never paid too much attention to it at all. But I think it has become important nowadays,” she says.
On whether the kind of focus on PR and social media in today’s time is intrusive, Bhumila adds the concept of today’s time is ‘to be seen’.
“But I think to be seen or heard all the time might kill the basic concept of work. Your strength is your work, which gets diluted because of all of these. Announcing all major happenings of your life on social media in a way is good because you’re saying what you really want to say, in your own words. There are pros and cons to being openly seen or heard in public, of course. If you overdo it, the mystery behind the star/person can disappear. I think a little mystery is good,” she adds.
Meanwhile, Bhumika is busy with her down South but not seen much in Bollywood. Responding to it, the actor describes that presently she is walking on a tightrope.
She explains, “On one hand, I have to be seen for producers and directors to understand that I’m still working so they can approach me. Unless you’re seen on-screen, people assume that you’re married, you have a child, so you’re not interested. So, social media and PR comes handy at that time. Coming to my work in South Indian film industry, I have been working there for the longest time. I never took a break there. I have three films due for release right now. As of now, I have one film which was supposed to start last year October-November. But that got delayed because of date issues and then an omicron wave happened. I have done another Hindi film which was due for release in January-February but that too got delayed because of the pandemic. I am now understanding that OTT is all the more feasible in these times.”
The actor is therefore open to working in the OTT space. But the offers that she has been getting are not as exciting as she wants them to be. Once she gets the right project, she is game.
At this point in time, pan-Indian films are being made. Be it Allu Arjun and his film Pushpa gaining so much fame or Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt featuring in SS Rajamouli’s RRR. Bhumika find it a happy trend.
“Earlier, the audience in the North only knew about Nagarjuna or Venkatesh because of the few Hindi films they did. But now I think, whether the film is from South or North, it has actors from both industries. Producers are realising that the marketing value of such projects are much higher. The film reaches a larger audience. So, the recovery rate is higher. When Prabhas or Allu Arjun makes a multilingual film people love to watch that,” she shares.
Bhumika had penned an emotional note after the passing of her M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story co-star Sushant Singh Rajput and shares memories of the late actor.
“It was nice working with him. We had a few days working together. I particularly remember sitting with him between shots and Sushant used to talk about the journey of life. He was a very normal human being, not one with his head flying in the air,” she sounds emotional.
Ask if we would see her reuniting with Salman Khan on screen and pat comes the reply, “I am not in touch with him. If the reunion happens, I’d be open to it. Why not?”
Not many know Bhumika is also a painter. “I am fond of painting but I don’t pursue it professionally. For me, it’s just creativity. I was doing acrylic on canvas. I love travelling too. I just took a helicopter ride in Dubai. It’s an open chopper and goes up to 1500 feet which is an exciting thing. I was a little afraid initially but I enjoyed it. The next thing I want to do is to dive in the deepest pool in Dubai,” she shares her wish list.