Bhumi Pednekar took to Instagram to laud Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘bold’ Pepsi ad for challenging societal norms and slamming those, who question women for choosing what they wear, when they marry and more. The actor reflected on her own journey in films as she spoke about how she was constantly told she could not ‘succeed as a leading star’. Bhumi also shared the statements often told to her – from your ‘debut would be your last film’ to you ‘don’t look like a conventionally beautiful leading lady’.
From her debut film Dum Lagake Haisa (2015) to films such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) and Badhaai Do (2022), Bhumi is known for doing films on social taboos and stigmas and has highlighted social causes and women issues through her movies. In her latest Instagram post, she spoke about how she was told she should play safe and not champion causes through cinema.
Bhumi wrote, “If I had a penny for all the times I was told how the odds were stacked up against me to succeed as a leading star… From how my debut would be my last film since I was playing an overweight heroine, to how I should play safe and not champion causes through cinema as I would be seen niche, to how I didn’t look like the conventionally beautiful leading ladies that have graced our cinema which meant my chances were next to zero…”
She further said about her decisions to break the norms and stereotypes, “I did not let naysayers question my worth. I made decisions to break the norms and stereotypes that women are chained with and chose to rise up! So, all I have to tell other women is tu tera kar (you do you)! Kudos to the team over at @pepsiindia and one of my personal favourite actors @samantharuthprabhuoffl for bringing such a relatable and bold piece to life with this ad. More power to you.” Earlier this year, Bhumi was appointed as UNDP’s first National Advocate. Bhumi was last seen in Bheed, co-starring Rajkummar Rao. Helmed by Anubhav Sinha, Bheed is a fictional film set during the events of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown in India. The movie also features Dia Mirza, Ashutosh Rana, Pankaj Kapur and Kritika Kamra in pivotal roles. Source: HT