Tollywood is not a stepping stone

In a hero-centric industry, where the leading ladies merely prettify the screen, Bhumika Chawla is one Tollywood actress who has essayed roles with a substance consistently. Her films may be few and far in between, but she boasts of acting in only female-oriented films, be it Missama, Anasuya or her much hyped film Amaravati. While the actress attributes her success to
luck, she also claims that the attitude in the film industry is fast changing.

“I thank my stars for all the good films that came my way. Since I almost always play the lead role, I consider myself lucky. But that apart, Tollywood heroes too are gradually warming up to the idea of female-oriented movies,” says Bhumika, who is busy shooting for another female-oriented movie called Kotha Bandham.

In fact, after a long hiatus, the actress now has five films in her kitty. “It was no conscious decision to act in so many films simultaneously, it’s a mere coincidence. Everything came to me at once and now I’m shooting for five films in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi.”

After Tere Naam, Bhumika’s Bollywood career was marked by a spate of duds, but the actress hopes to make a comeback with Naam, where she acts opposite Ajay Devgn. “I did seven films in Hindi after Tere Naam, but most of them didn’t click at the box office. Moreover, I didn’t get any exciting offers and a few projects were shelved. But I have no regrets, you can’t
expect a superhit everyday,” says Bhumika, who adds that her loyalties lie with Tollywood.

“As long as I act, I will continue doing films in Tollywood. I am living out of Mumbai and Hyderabad. The Tollywood audience loves me and I won’t treat the Telugu film industry as a mere stepping stone and move on,” she adds.With her career graph only looking up, the actress who is currently basking in marital bliss, insists that her marriage never affected her career, like her critics claim.

Marital status is not a hindrance to anyone’s acting career. Kajol and Juhi continue to act even today. Bharat Thakur never interferes in my work and has only been supportive. We both discuss the roles I am offered. But I take the final decision.”