Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; December 1, 2019)

While Bhumi Pednekar is celebrating the success of her last outing Bala, Ananya Panday is enjoying her smooth landing in Bollywood with Student Of The Year 2. And now, the two actresses are sharing screen space in the upcoming film, Pati Patni Aur Woh, which also stars Kartik Aaryan. In a conversation with BT, Bhumi speaks about the tag ‘queen of the heartland India’ conferred upon her, and Ananya opens up about her link-up with Kartik, and her two-year journey in Bollywood. Read on:

Bhumi, due to the kind of roles you have done so far, you have been tagged as the ‘queen of heartland India’. In your upcoming film Pati Patni Aur Woh, you essay the gharwali, while Ananya is the baharwali. Will we see you stepping out of the space that you revel in so much?
BHUMI: Honestly, I don’t seek roles in particular, but a good script. I own up to my tag as the ‘queen of heartland India’. This is the space I have created for myself, and I have no intention of sharing it. I don’t want to give away my crown to anyone. I am very clear about it. In this zone, I got to essay such varied characters. I played an overweight girl (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), a 70-year-old (Saand Ki Aankh) and a 20-year-old (the upcoming Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare). I am satisfied in this space, but my greed isn’t satiated yet. Along the way, I was also offered films that were to be shot at exotic locations, where there was scope for glamour, but I had nothing qualitative to do in those films. I did not want to be a part of such films. For me, the script is important. If I have to be at exotic locations and look glamourous, I can go on vacations there with my own money.
ANANYA: I am happy that Bhumi is doing these roles so well. I would like to do something like that, too. In my debut film Student Of The Year 2, I played a glamourous part. In Pati Patni Aur Woh as well, I am glammed up, so now people feel that I wouldn’t be open to doing certain kind of roles.
BHUMI: Having said that, in this film, I am not a coy girl from a small town. Vedika is upfront and just because she wears sarees doesn’t mean she is bechari. Likewise, Ananya, who plays the ‘woh’, isn’t vampish. Actually, with this film, we are breaking stereotypes, we represent the modern Indian girl.

Kartik and Ananya are reportedly seeing each other. How true is that, Ananya? And Bhumi, at any point, did you feel that there was a lot of attention specifically on them for the same reason?
ANANYA: (Cuts in…) What are these reports? Anyway, what would be worse is if Kartik and I get affected by these rumours. People are going to talk no matter what, so I might as well do whatever I want to. Even if there are rumours, I will not stop hanging out with him. He is my friend and costar. I am going to chill and spend time with him. We didn’t know each other before we started working on this film. We both talk a lot. In fact, we are the kind of people who can talk to the walls, too. We both think that we are really funny and pretend to laugh at each other’s jokes when we are actually laughing on our own jokes.
BHUMI: As far as I am concerned, well, I am third-wheeling with them.
ANANYA: (With an irritated look, turns to Bhumi and says) After all the bhashan I gave, you had to end it with this line? (laughs!). What I like about Kartik is that he is extremely genuine. He hasn’t forgotten his roots. When you reach so far, you tend to forget where you have come from, but he hasn’t. That’s a nice quality that I see in him. He speaks in Hindi; he is just how he is and not afraid of people judging him. People are often afraid of being themselves or acknowledging their backgrounds in this industry. On the contrary, he is proud of where he has come from.

Considering you claim to be single, what kind of a guy are you looking for, Ananya?
ANANYA: I would want someone who is extremely loyal, who is my friend and is fun to be with.

...and Kartik has all these qualities, right?
ANANYA: Yeah. By the way, Bhumi is single, too. Please tell us what qualities are you looking for in your man, Bhumi?
BHUMI: I am a rock-solid girl, so I need a rock-solid man; someone who’s brave and gutsy. I am a handful, especially because of the kind of work I do. As an actor, I live extreme lives. It is never unidimensional for me. It’s very complicated as I am going through some transformation or the other for every project. Also, I need someone who can deal with my family and my girl gang.
ANANYA: Oh yes, her mother, sister and she are like this holy trinity. When they walk in, it’s like the Pednekars have arrived (laughs!).

Haven’t you found any such guy in the film fraternity, Bhumi?
BHUMI: I am not looking for love in Bollywood. I don’t have the time. Unless you are working on a film together, like Deepika (Padukone) and Ranveer (Singh), who did three films back-to-back. Well, Ayushmann (Khurrana) and I have done films together...if he was single, he would be a great catch.