Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 21, 2019)

She is the poster girl of heartland cinema, and after four years and six films in Bollywood, actor Bhumi Pednekar is ready with her ‘most commercial film’ — Pati Patni Aur Woh. And, to hit the bullseye of popular cinema, the actor has taken inspiration from Karisma Kapoor — the leading lady of ’90s commercial Hindi films. Karisma’s 1991 family comedy drama, Biwi No 1, acted as a reference point for Bhumi.

Incidentally, Bhumi is a die-hard admirer of Karisma. “I’ve been a huge fan of her since I was a child. I even bought a dress that was similar to her attire in Raja Hindustani (1996). She’s the epitome of a commercial film heroine, and I loved her films,” says Bhumi.

Gushing about Karisma, the 30-year-old says, “She was outstanding in all comedies and Biwi No. 1 was a huge inspiration to me while I was preparing for Pati, Patni Aur Woh. Her transformation from a simple bahu to a firecracker in the film had bowled me over. She was my reference point to nail my role.”

Bhumi, who is thrilled to play a character similar to Karisma’s role in Biwi No. 1, adds, “It’s a dream come true for me to play a role so similar to hers. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the commercial film heroine for the first time in my career.”