PremiumFrom Badhaai Do to Bhakshak - Here are 6 must-watch movies of Bhumi Pednekar
Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Badhaai Do completed 2 years on February 11. Here's looking at the must-watch movies from the filmography of the new-age diva that is replete with atypical on-screen roles.
Last Updated: 04.18 PM, Feb 12, 2024
Talk of uncommon heroes and heroines gracing our big 70 mm as well as cosy OTT screens currently, and chances are Bhumi Pednekar's name crops up instantly, right? Directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, the Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao-starrer social comedy Badhaai Do turned two yesterday on February 11, 2024. In an Instagram post, the actress said, "Grateful for two years of love, support, and endless smiles!". Now, we bring you the list of the actress’ unmissable movies that you can watch on OTT for a slice-of-life feel. Read on...
Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015)
Sometimes, you don't choose your on-screen character, rather it chooses you. This is what happened with Bhumi's debut film Dum Laga Ke Haisha opposite Ayushmann Khurrana, another actor known to pick uncommon roles right from his first film itself. Bhumi essayed the role of an educated overweight girl Sandhya, trying to become a teacher, but eventually gets married to Ayushmann's character Prem and spend an entire lifetime together. A regular arranged marriage dubbed to be a perfect mismatch; this Sharat Kataria-directed film got five nominations at the 61st Filmfare Awards where Bhumi's natural performance won the hearts of jury and audiences alike earning her the Best Female Debut, among others.
Streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017)
This comedy-drama saw Bhumi Pednekar portraying Jaya Sharma's role who threatens to leave her husband Keshav (played by Akshay Kumar) shortly after their marriage as the house has no provision for a toilet. To tackle this issue, Keshav takes Jaya to a neighbour's house and then on a train with a seven-minute stop at the village railway station. Jaya ends up getting locked one day and the train departs suddenly, leaving Jaya agitated at her predicament. Addressing the issue of India’s sanitation conditions, particularly the problem of open defecation, the movie received glowing reviews from critics and turned out to be the fourth highest grosser of the year worldwide.
Streaming platforms – Netflix, ZEE5
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017)
Teaming up with Ayushmann Khurrana again, Bhumi was seen as Sugandha Sharma in the Tamil remake of Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013) directed by R S Prasanna. The lead characters Mudit and Sugandha fall in love, decide to get married even as Mudit discovers about his erectile dysfunction. The duo is shown standing up for each other, going against societal norms while dealing with this taboo subject and creating an equal partnership in this social commentary. The icing on the cake is the excellent supporting cast, which includes Brijendra Kala, Seema Pahwa, and Supriya Shukla.
Streaming platforms – ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
Badhaai Do (2022)
There can never be a dull moment when a firecracker of an artist like Bhumi Pednekar graces our film screens. Taking on the responsibility of bringing a lesser talked about topic, such as people from the LGBQT+ on the celluloid first and OTT later, Bhumi dazzled as Suman ‘Sumi’ Singh, a physical education teacher who agrees to a marriage of convenience with Shardul Thakur (played by Rajkummar Rao) in Harshvardhan Kulkarni-directed Badhaai Do. Dealt maturely and sensitively, the movie demonstrated how a person's sexual orientation defines and determines their social status. To silence their families and end the constant pressure to get married, Shardul, a police officer, and Sumi, a PE teacher, agreed to this arrangement, known as a lavender marriage. However, the journeys they took with their respective partners eventually lead to several realisations.
Streaming platform - Netflix
Thank You for Coming (2023)
Bhumi ‘Experimental’ Pednekar has versatility written all over her persona. The point in case being her offbeat selection of roles and the sass and poise with which she owns them on the screen. Headlining one of 2023’s quirky film releases – Thank You for Coming as Kanika Kapoor – Bhumi left her indelible mark in this Karan Boolani directorial as a 32-year-old single woman searching for love and sexual pleasure. Supported by Shehnaaz Gill, Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila and Shibani Bedi, the sex comedy highlighted peer pressure and women being okay with not experiencing an orgasm – a taboo topic in Indian society.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Bhakshak (2024)
Bhumi’s latest OTT-only outing Bhakshak is the talk of the town. The Red Chillies Entertainment production sees Bhumi Pednekar essaying the role of journalist Vaishali Singh who unearths a heinous crime taking place at a girls’ shelter home and how she faces the powerful perpetrators. Receiving appreciation for her bold and fearless portrayal since its February 9 OTT debut on Netflix, Bhumi seems to have hit the right chord with the masses in conveying the message – stand up against injustice and fight for the right thing – even if you must do it alone. Here’s to seeing more fiery performances from Bhumi’s film stable lighting up our screens and touching our psyche for the rest of 2024!
Streaming platform – Netflix