Bhumi Pednekar on her idea of an ideal man: I think that will put too much pressure on the man that I am with – Exclusive – Times of India

You command a crazy fan following across the country. Who is Bhumi Pednekar a crazy fan of?
There are lots of people whom I admire for sure. I admire Priyanka Chopra. We share our birthdays and I really look up to her. Alia is also an actor that I admire. But the one I truly fangirl is Smita Patil. She might not be with us but when I see her work today, my perspective is so different. I have high regard for Meryl Streep and I also love Zendaya. I fangirl all strong women. I really get strength from them.

Does screen time or the length of your character matter to you?
Not at all. I will give you an example. In ‘Sonchiriya’, I came into the film in the 45th minute but I bagged awards for that role. Screen time doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is what my character is doing. I am confident that even if I have five scenes, people are going to walk out of the theatres thinking about me. Even in the West, there are huge collaborations where you see Leonardo DiCaprio doing two scenes in a film.

Many actresses in the industry are trying to spread body positivity in an age where we have so many false beauty standards around us. What are your thoughts about body positivity?
I feel times have really changed. Fat-shaming and body-shaming are things of the past and people who are still doing that need to be called out. We have so many beautiful examples. Women today celebrate who they are and I am definitely one of them. I care about being fit and healthy and don’t necessarily care about my weight. I transform as my character requires. I believe that body positivity starts with loving yourself first. That is very important.

Your fans are often curious to know about your love life and marriage plans. How would you describe your ideal man?
I had an idea of an ideal man when I was younger. But now, all that really doesn’t matter to me anymore. I think that will put too much pressure on the man that I am with. The idea is that we both evolve with time and age.

What does the second half of 2022 have in store for Bhumi?
I have a film releasing in a month. I have already finished shooting three films this year. My year started with ‘Badhaai Do’ which received so much love and appreciation. ‘Bheed’ and ‘Govinda Naam Mera’ are going to be released in the second half of the year. I am on the verge of completing ‘Afwaa’. We are done with ‘The Lady Killer’. There is also one unannounced film that we will be sharing with everybody soon. Again, it is such a fun and exciting project for me. I have already shot 50 percent of the film. A lot is happening.