Bhumi Pednekar feels that it is high time directors write better roles for women onscreen. The actor said that she is determined to only do films in which she could contribute something.
“Gone are the days where heroines just needed to be a puppet and a mere tool of glamour in film. Now is the time characters need to be made around girls and women because, honestly, they are the ones either suffering or celebrating at the moment because after a very long time we are finally seeing some sort of change in the society and in the film industry. I’m just glad that such movies are written,” she told IANS.
Pednekar insists that she does not need to be the centre of the film. She only wants the kind of respect that the male lead is given in a film. “Things are changing, because since Dum Laga Ke Haisha, all the films that were offered to me, at least most of them, were films where I had enough to do or films where I was equally important. I am not saying that I need to be the centre of every film. No, that’s not the case. But I just need to be given the kind of respect my male counterpart is being given in the story,” she said.
Pednekar assisted on a few films before making her acting debut. She credits this experience with helping her on her film journey.
“I don’t know if it has given me an edge over other actors, but that phase of my life has enriched my craft. I met so many directors, I understood scripts better because I read them, I was casting so I was doing a bit of acting and directing every day with other actors,” she said, adding that experience always helps.
Recommended
Pednekar says that choosing issue-based films is not a conscious decision. It just so happens that most of her films thus far have focussed on important issues. “I think nowadays your message (matters), and concept-driven films are commercial successes. So I would like to say that I am a part of commercial successes. It’s so good to know that all the films that are doing well are high on content and that’s the way it is going to be in the future. I am already a part of future masala films,” she said.
Bhumi Pednekar will next be seen in Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan. The film is a remake of RS Prasanna’s Kalyana Samayal Saadham.
Image Courtesy: DNA