Bhumi Pednekar talks about how she slipped into the role of a house help for the Lust Stories short
She may have had only four dialogues in Zoya Akhtar's short, but Bhumi Pednekar has proved that an artiste of her calibre doesn't need to rely on powerful lines to make an impact. The actor has been garnering rave reviews for her nuanced portrayal of a house help who has an affair with the flat owner, in Lust Stories. "Initially, I was nervous as I had to communicate only through my expressions. But the challenge of it attracted me to the film. Also, Zoya was clear about what she wanted," says Pednekar.
Bhumi Pednekar
After she gave her nod to the Neil Bhoopalam starrer, the actor says she had to undergo a 10-day workshop to "turn my psyche". "I prepped with Atul Mongia [casting director] for almost 10 days, during which I was living how a Mumbai house help would live. I would mop the floor, cook and make tea. These minute things helped me get into the skin of the character."
Having ventured into the web space with the Netflix anthology, Pednekar feels that video-streaming platforms have altered the way audiences consume content. "As an actor, it challenges us to do better work. I think this is a wake-up call for filmmakers; they need to up their game because better content is available on other platforms."
Rumours have been rife that she has been signed on by Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his next. Prod her on it and she says, "I've been a big fan of his work since Khamoshi [1996]. I would love to work with him, but nothing really is happening."
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