Bhumika Chawla calls it unfortunate as shelf life for female actors still exists.

Bhumika Chawla recalls being replaced in Jab We Met, Munna Bhai MBBS after Tere Naam success: The only time I felt bad…

Actor Bhumika Chawla in a recent interview talked about feeling bad when she lost out on films despite the success of Tere Naam.

Bhumika Chawla spoke about dearth of good parts for female actors as they grow older. She said there is definite shelf life for actors.

Bhumika Chawla recently talked about being replaced in films even after the success of Tere Naam with Salman Khan. She said she was offered lead roles in films including Jab We Met and Munna Bhai MBBS. However, in the end, for some reason, it went to Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan respectively.

Bhumika made her debut in Bollywood with Tere Naam. Directed by Satish Kaushik in 2003, the hit film was written by Bala and Jainendra Jain. It is a remake of Bala’s own Tamil film Sethu (1999) and was a blockbuster which launched her in the Hindi film industry as she started her acting career with the Telugu film Yuvakudu.

However, the popularity of Tere Naam didn’t make it a cakewalk for her when it came to bagging films. During a conversation with RJ Siddharth Kanan, Bhumi said in Hindi, “I got many offers [after Tere Naam]. I’ve always been selective and choosy about what I do. I had signed a big film after it, that unfortunately the production changed, then hero changed, the film title changed. Then the heroine was changed too. But if I would have done that it would have been different. So they say, jo likha hai, woh hota hai (it’s all in the destinu). I waited for that film for one year and didn’t sign any other film. Later I signed another film which didn’t happen too. Baki jo ki gayi woh sayad utni chali nahi ya chali (my films after Tere Naam might have not been that much of a hit), it’s just like gambling, you don’t know when and which movie will work.”

“The only time I felt bad was when I signed Jab We Met and it didn’t happen. I was the first one, Bobby (Deol) and me, when it was called Train. Then, it was Shahid (Kapoor) and me, and then Shahid and Ayesha (Takia), and then Shahid and Kareena (Kapoor). That’s how things happened but it’s okay,” Bhumika added. The interviewer further asked her if the film she referred to was Jab We Met, to which she admitted. The actor said, “I only felt bad once and then never again because I just move on. I don’t think much about it. I had signed Munna Bhai MBBS but it didn’t happen. Kannathil Muthamittal with Mani (Ratnam) sir didn’t happen,” she shared. “Only Raju sir can share this. He told me the reason after 10-12 years when we met at a place. He said ‘Because of somebody’s mistake you were removed from the film’. But it’s okay. This also happens here,” she reasoned about her exit from the film.

In Bollywood, Bhumika Chawla became a household name in 2003 with the blockbuster hit Tere Naam directed by Satish Kaushik. The tragic love story with Salman Khan marked the actor’s Hindi debut. She had already made her acting debut with the Telugu film Yuvakudu in 2000. However, after the film, the projects Bhumika did in Hindi did not become as popular as her first ones. She continued to work in the south film industries in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages. Recently, the actor shared there is still ageism towards female actors and that they stop getting good roles once they get older.

In Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, Bhumika has reunited with her Tere Naam co-star Salman. But she is not acting opposite him, Pooja Hegde is. Bhumika essays the role of Pooja’s sister-in-law in the family entertainer. Directed by Farhad Samji, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan was released on April 21 on the occasion of Eid. The Hindi film, loosely adapted from the Tamil film Veeram (2014), has earned ₹10.17 crore nett on its first Monday, taking its overall collections to ₹78.34 crore nett.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Bhumika revealed, “Unfortunately, there is a shelf life for actresses. I don’t know why because I feel makers aren’t able to view them that way. Now that Netflix is here, Amazon [web] series are coming, content driven films and web series have good work for senior actresses, [in] central roles. But in a commercial mass film has the same system even today. Hero is still playing hero and the female lead has gone backward.”

She added, “The change will have to come from the industry. The audience can’t do that. If we change something, then the audience will accept it. If we don’t change it then how will they accept it?”

Bhumika was last seen in the Tamil thriller Kannai Nambathey in which she had a double role. In 2022, she appeared in the Hindi film Operation Romeo starring Sidhant Gupta and Vedika Pinto. The actor was also part of the Telugu films Sita Ramam and Butterfly in supporting roles.

Bhumika was recently seen in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan which marked her reunion with Salman. However, she wasn’t his love interest this time. She essayed the role of Pooja Hegde’s sister-in-law.

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