Koffee with Karan recap: Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkummar Rao on being outsiders

“When will we see you play rich characters onscreen?” a fan quips almost immediately after Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao settle on the couch on the latest episode of Koffee with Karan. While Rao brushed it off with, “Only when Karan Johar will cast us in his movies,” the innocuous question does provide food for thought. Dressed in a diametrically opposite monochrome palette of black and white, Pednekar and Rao’s journeys couldn’t be more similar. Without the glamour of a glitzy launch vehicle or a starry legacy to propel them into mainstream, they have made their mark by picking humble roles that allowed their prodigious talent to shine. If you missed their candid chat with Johar about life on the other side of the fence, here are all the highlights you need to know about.

Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao on being outsiders in the industry

The Lust Stories star admitted, “When you start a new journey, it is going to be alien at first but people are very accepting, I never felt out of place. I have always felt wanted and my work has been appreciated. I go to these parties and people give me so much love. So it’s been pretty good for us,” while Rao divulged, “When I was looking for work after Love Sex Aur Dhokha, there was not really a lot of work. Probably, if I was an insider, people would have pushed me. After giving two back-to-back successful films, I was still doing smaller parts.” Johar went on to neatly tie their perspectives together with, “Nepotism or not, eventually, talent is what rocks.”

Rajkummar Rao Rao on his marriage plans

Despite the string of celebrity weddings that took centerstage in 2018, Rao revealed that he isn’t ready to take the plunge yet with girlfriend, Patralekha. “We are in a very happy relationship, and our parents are not complaining, so there is no pressure to get married. And I think both of us are just busy in our respective careers,” he said and went on to add that she does, however, warn him about his co-stars. “There have been times she has said, ‘Dekho, zara isse sambhal ke rehna’. I think it’s a great thing when your partner is your best friend. You can share everything—you can have fun, dance, sing, go out to watch a film. It’s not about those lovey-dovey talks. It’s about discussing everything in life,” he added with a smile.

Bhumi Pednekar on auditioning some of the biggest names in the industry

Before she booked a berth in Bollywood with her nuanced performance in Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Pednekar was already a part of the film fraternity as an assistant to casting director, Shanoo Sharma. Her job involved auditioning some big names, including Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Disha Patani, and even Rao himself. While she found the latter’s performance fine, she wasn’t really taken with Patani as she was still very raw. However, she admitted that Chopra was the one who truly impressed her with her audition for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.

Bhumi Pednekar on being fired to land her first role

As an assistant to one of the biggest casting directors in the industry, Pednekar was among the first people on the job for Dum Laga Ke Haisha. “As this script came along, I didn’t know they were auditioning me. So, Shanoo being Shanoo, she’s said, ‘Oh my God! Let’s do this mock audition.’ She gave me four scenes to do and I did all of them back-to-back together. I guess when Sharat Katariya, my director from the movie, kind of liked my work, they told me, ‘Oh, you know what, it wasn’t a mock audition. We were actually auditioning you.’ Shanoo is a very dramatic person, so when we had a fight, she was like, ‘You are fired!’ I was like, ‘What? Over such a silly thing?’ and then she said, ‘From today, I don’t want to see your face because you’re being considered for Dum Laga Ke Haisha.’” Pednekar reminisced.

Bhumi Pednekar on breaking stereotypes

Having made her mark with rustic roles in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, she admits that people are confused when they see her speaking English or shedding the weight from her debut movie. However, the actor considers it an accomplishment that she was able to make herself so believable in those characters that people can’t separate her from her roles.

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