Woke Beauty

On screen, she’s fighting patriarchy with her powerful roles, on social media she’s making the right noises for conserving the environment. Over our zoom call, I also meet the young, simple girl who loves doing make-up and likes to look good at all times. Clearly, there’s more to Bhumi Pednekar than meets the eye. “You know because of the roles that I do… I don’t get to glam up in my films. But in real life I’m so away from those roles or those characters that I play, I take out all my frustration on myself when I’m not in front of the camera. I love playing dress-up,” chuckles the actress. One wouldn’t have known that she’s as fond of make-up kits as she’s of method acting. The stark contrast between Bhumi’s on-screen and off-screen personalities makes her more real than most. Her candid replies make you aware she’s actually woke and not pretending to be so. Her relatability is her USP and the more you learn of her inspiring journey, the more your respect grows. Bhumi started off on a strong note with Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), then went from one high to another in her career and five years later she’s reached that point where author-backed roles are being written for her. 2020 started off on a high Saand Ki Aankh Durgamati —