So Bhumika Chawla would have been in Kareena Kapoor’s superhit film, said – my career would have been something else

‘Tere Naam’ fame actress Bhumika Chawla had once made a lot of headlines in Bollywood due to her innocence and beauty, but ‘Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha’, ‘Run’, ‘Silsile’ Her career in Hindi films like ‘Family’, ‘Gandhi’ did not gain momentum in Bollywood. The role, who has given many hits in South, is in discussion these days with her new South film ‘Citimar’. In this conversation, she talks openly about her film, failure, Sushant Singh Rajput and aspects of being a woman.

Your Sports based South Movie ‘Citimar’ is being liked a lot? Have you been involved in sports?
In ‘Citimar’, I have become a Kabaddi player, who inspires her brother to take up sports and make him a coach. I love adventure sports. I have been doing badminton and swimming for a long time. But I have also done level one course in scuba diving. I hula hoop. Recently I went rope climbing in Manali. I have always been a sports person. During my school days I was learning to ride a bike and I had an accident while riding the bike. Then I had a serious leg injury and I was in bed for two and a half months. But even after this, I never held back from playing any sports. Recently I have done a Telugu film ‘Ade Ma Katha’, in which I have driven a heavy bike like Royal Enfield.

Riding a bike is also considered a symbol of women empowerment. When did you find yourself most empowered as a woman?
I was born in a family where we were three siblings, two sisters and one brother. But my parents never made any distinction between boys and girls at home. That’s why riding a bike is not a big deal for me. I feel empowered when I can manage my life. For me, women empowerment is when you can take your desired decisions by staying firm in financial, career, domestic or any situation. Do not bow down in fear in front of the situation. In any bad situation, if a woman keeps herself strong and faces it, then nothing can be more powerful than that.

Have you felt inferior as a woman?
Yes, there are two such situations, when as a woman I feel very inferior. Whenever there are cases of crime against women and they go on, years after years, nothing comes out of the verdict, then it feels very bad. Apart from this, the punishment given to the criminals is not strong enough to scare the perpetrators. The second situation is when jokes and memes are made about women and they are enjoyed a lot. Such forward jokes are quite absurd. Look, my sense of humor is not bad, but the jokes made on women humiliate me.

Talking about your career, after giving a super hit film like ‘Tere Naam’ with Salman Khan, you became a national crush, but after that your career in Bollywood did not progress?
Today, when I look back after years, I see a simple reason for this, luck! But if I go deep into it, there were many reasons for this. The first situation was that big films came to you, but during that time I was also doing South films, so my dates could not match. I was also offered ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’, but I could not do those films. If I had done those films, my career would have been different. There were two such films in Telugu which I skipped because I was getting married and I was already working in five films. Those two Telugu movies also proved to be blockbusters. Then there are times when the offers of roles that you get are not that meaningful and you yourself decline. In such a situation, the gap becomes more and it then increases so much that the people of the industry think that you are not willing to work, while this is not true.

But after a long gap, why did you accept to play Dhoni’s (Sushant Singh Rajput) sister in Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni: The Untold Story?
To be honest, when Neeraj sir (director Neeraj Pandey) offered me the role of Dhoni’s sister, I was not sure whether I should play this sister or not? But then I said yes, because it was a biopic of a great cricketer. Actually, my role in the film was small, but it was important that the biggest player of the country is inspired by his sister for the game. Well soon I will give you the news of a very good Hindi film. At the moment it is forbidden to talk about it. My upcoming film will be very interesting.

You worked with Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’. His untimely demise and the subsequent controversies surrounding the episode of his death must have been shocking to you as well?
He was a wonderful fellow artist. We had a lot of conversations during the shoot. He used to talk about life, his dreams and relationships. He was a very hardworking artist. There was never any problem or confusion from his side on the sets. Of course everything was shocking. Some channels went over the top. Many channels have involved many people in it. I think no news should be biased. Many channels were influencing the public. Unfortunately, after some time it became a prime time TV show, which people would watch and watch that the show is going on today at 9 o’clock. Watch it, eat it and sleep. It was all very disturbing. Everything else came except the real issue, but the result was nothing.