‘Can I actually act?’: Bhumi Pednekar reveals The Royals backlash forced her into a 9-month break, went to Harvard

She claimed that she’d been constantly at it for 10 years since her memorable debut as Sandhya in Sharat Kataria’s 2015 romantic drama Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She gained 30 kg to play that part, and physical transformation for her roles has been a constant endeavour since then. “It’s not just about physical transformation. It’s also about what you go through emotionally and mentally every time you prepare for a character,” added Bhumi in the interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.

“I had become emotionally depleted. I’d completely lost perspective of who I am as an actor, as a person, who is Bhumi. So, I had to step back, and in that noise, I had to find people who were my well-wishers who had truly something constructive to say,” said Bhumi. She then introspected about what the next 10 years of her life are going to look like.

What did Bhumi do in her break?

“I took a break. I haven’t been on a set since June. Many a times, when an actor admits to that, there’s a lot of negative connotation attached to it. But it was something I did voluntarily, and it’s the best decision I’ve taken for myself,” added Bhumi. She watched movies, read books, took a course at Harvard University, and travelled extensively to build on her bank of life experiences.

“I didn’t have any real experiences left in me that I could extend to my craft. And that scared me. One of the biggest fears I always had was I don’t ever want to be mediocre, and I think I reached there. It was important for me to accept that and not be in denial. Because I know what I’m capable of doing. I went back and watched some of my work because I was lost. I was like, can I actually act? Do I have it in me?,” confessed Bhumi.

She learnt that she just needed to stop taking what she had for granted. “I had become numb to other people’s experiences because you live in a bubble. It’s very important for every actor to get out of that bubble. That experience shook me. I’m very happy and fortunate that people watched it (The Royals). Something good came out of it. But the best thing that came out if it was that I reconnected with Bhumi as a person and Bhumi, the actor,” she added.

Bhumi recalled that her travels across the last year have been as much about road trips where she’s discussing “lives, politics, and health issues” of people she meets at tea stalls as much about exchanging notes with young actors in Los Angeles. She also spent time with her family, worked on her physical and mental health, and worked on her business Backbay, a premium, eco-friendly natural mineral water brand she started with her sister Samiksha Pednekar.

Bhumi’s return to acting

Bhumi revealed that she’s going back to set after nine months this March with her first courtroom drama. “It’s about sexual violence that women and marginalized communities go through. It’s a theatrical film. I’ve been working on it for the past two months. I can’t wait to be on a film set,” she said.

The Royals actor added that she took a break immediately after the release of the show last May. “I left movies. I had to return signing amounts. I had to say no to a cheque, which is a lot. It was not just about not doing the films, but reducing my presence in the world of media. So, it was saying no to a lot of award shows and fashion events. I wanted to just cut off. I wanted to go through that experience of what it feels like to just be by myself. If I was to lose everything, will I survive? And I know I will survive,” she claimed.

Bhumi also attributed her taking this break to Imran Khan, once at the peak of his career in the 2010s, who quit movies in 2015 only to return to the screen this year with Danish Aslam’s Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum. “I saw what he did in his last 10 years. And he’s doing okay, he’s doing great,” said Bhumi, adding, “I’m replenished and how. I’m confident again. I was broken. I was completely done. And I’m good.”

Also Read — Daldal trailer: Bhumi Pednekar’s Mumbai top cop goes on a hunt for Aditya Rawal’s serial killer in Suresh Triveni’s gritty cat-and-mouse tale

Before she goes back to the set, Bhumi will be seen as a broken Mumbai top cop, Rita Ferreira, in Suresh Triveni’s crime thriller show Daldal. She shot for the series right after she finished filming The Royals. Also starring Aditya Rawal and Samara Tijori, Daldal is directed by Amrit Raj Gupta, and will release on Prime Video India on January 30.