Actress · Hindi Cinema

Bhumi Pednekar

Bhumi Pednekar is an Indian actress who works in Hindi cinema, widely recognised for her portrayals of headstrong small-town women. After roughly six years as an assistant casting director at Yash Raj Films, she made her acting debut as an overweight bride in the romantic comedy Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), a role that won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She built a reputation for content-driven and social-issue films such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bala and Saand Ki Aankh. She is regarded as one of the leading actresses of her generation for taking on unconventional, character-driven parts rather than conventional glamour roles.

Honours: Three Filmfare Awards — Best Female Debut for Dum Laga Ke Haisha, plus two Filmfare Critics Awards for Best Actress (for Saand Ki Aankh and Badhaai Do) — along with two Screen Awards, two Zee Cine Awards, an IIFA Award and a Producers Guild Film Award, most of them tied to her debut and to Saand Ki Aankh and Bala.