Bhumi Pednekar on the word 'female-led projects': This is an annoying term and I hate it from my gut

Bhumi Pednekar

'Thank You For Coming' actress Bhumi Pednekar recently stated that she does not like the term "female-led projects". The actress opened up about how producers should take the leap and finance more movies like 'Bhakshak'

Bhumi Pednekar hates the term 'female-led projects':

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Talking about the same, Bhumi Pednekar shared, "There is a misconception that people are not immediately drawn to watch films or content headlined by women. Such projects are immediately bracketed as 'female-led projects'. This is an annoying term and I hate it from my gut. Gender doesn't define people's watching preferences. Audience wants to see good cinema, and good content. They aren't choosing to watch it basis gender. It's ridiculous."

She explained, "If that was the case, I wouldn't have survived and I have built a career out of essaying remarkably strong women on screen! I got lucky because I started working at a time that coincided with how women characters were being written for cinema. There were author-backed roles written for me. I was fortunate that directors liked my performances and chose me to headline in some of these incredibly beautiful projects that showed women as agents of change,"

Corroborating her stance, she brought up how well her latest film Bhakshak performed. "My last hit Bhakshak was about a woman's willpower to fight the system for social good and it went on to become a huge hit globally. So audiences saw a female actor headline a subject that took on patriarchy and showed it in all its ugliness. Such a project should have never become a hit if the audience were selecting to watch male-actor-driven projects."

Bhumi further shared how filmmakers in India should take a leap and make movies with the same budget as male actors in India, "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Lust Stories, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Saand Ki Aankh, Bala, Pati Patni Aur Woh are all films that had women driving the story and they are all successful projects. So, I feel it's high time we discard all misconceptions and back projects led by women and give it the scale and mounting that we truly deserve," she added.

Bhumi Pednekar work front

Meanwhile, Bhumi is receiving appreciation for her role as a journalist in her recent release, 'Bhakshak'. It explores the journey of an unwavering woman's quest to seek justice.

Directed by Pulkit and produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma, Bhakshak features a powerful ensemble including Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava and Sai Tamhankar. Bhumi Pednekar's 'Bhakshak' is currently streaming on Netflix.