Bhumi Pednekar (born 18 July 1989) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. After working as an assistant casting director at Yash Raj Films for six years, she made her film debut as an overweight bride in the company’s romantic comedy Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Pednekar rose to prominence by playing headstrong small-town women in the comedy-dramas Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017), Bala (2019) and Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019). For her portrayal of the septuagenarian sharpshooter Chandro Tomar in Saand Ki Aankh (2019), she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.
Early life
Pednekar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on 18 July 1989. She is of Konkani and Haryanvi descent; her father, Satish, was a former home and labour minister of Maharashtra, and her mother, Sumitra, worked as an anti-tobacco activist after the death of her husband from oral cancer. She did her schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir in Juhu. At the age of 15, her parents took out a study loan for her to study acting at Whistling Woods International, but she was expelled due to poor attendance. Within a year and a half, she joined Yash Raj Films as an assistant film director, and paid off the loan. She went on to work with the company for six years under Shanoo Sharma.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Sandhya Verma | |
| 2017 | Toilet: Ek Prem Katha | Jaya Joshi | |
| Shubh Mangal Saavdhan | Sugandha Joshi | ||
| 2018 | Lust Stories | Sudha Maheshwari | Zoya Akhtar’s segment |
| 2019 | Sonchiriya | Indumati Tomar | |
| Saand Ki Aankh | Chandro Dadi | ||
| Bala | Latika | ||
| Pati Patni Aur Woh | Vedika | ||
| 2020 | Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan | Devika Bhatt | Cameo appearance |
| Bhoot | Sapna Prakashan | Cameo appearance | |
| Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Kajal “Kitty” Yadav | ||
| Durgamati | IAS Chanchal Singh Chauhan/Durgamati | ||
| 2022 | Badhaai Do | Suman “Sumi” Singh | |
Govinda Naam Mera |
TBA | Post-production | |
| Raksha Bandhan |
TBA | Post-production | |
| Bheed |
TBA | Post-production | |
| Bhakshak |
TBA | Post-production | |
| 2023 | The Lady Killer |
TBA | Filming |
Awards and nominations
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| Totals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 10 | ||||
| Nominations | 8 | ||||
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| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |
| Producers Guild Film Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |||
| Screen Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Female Debut | Won | |||
| Stardust Awards | Superstar of Tomorrow – Female | Won | |||
| BIG Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Actor in a Social Role – Female | Won | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Star Debut of the Year – Female | Won | |||
| 2017 | Toilet: Ek Prem Katha | Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor – Female (Viewer’s Choice) | Nominated | |
| Best Actor – Female (Jury’s Choice) | Nominated | ||||
| Shubh Mangal Saavdhan | Screen Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| Filmfare Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| News18 Reel Movie Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Bala | Zee Cine Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
| Saand Ki Aankh | Best Actor – Female (Jury’s Choice) | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Won | |||
| Filmfare Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Won | |||
| 2021 | Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Nominated |
