Bhumi Pednekar: Want my films to release in theatres, but not at the cost of people’s safety

Actor Bhumi Pednekar has four films ready for release this year, but their fate depends on the curve of Covid-19 crisis in India. And the actor says she would like the stories come alive on the big screen, but not at the cost of safety and health.

“It is sad (the effect that the restrictions have on the entertainment industry). I was really looking forward to all my releases this year. I would have at least one or two in the first quarter itself,” shares Pednekar, adding, “But human life is more important. I would really hope that my films release in the cinema hall, but it can’t happen at the cost of the virus going out of control.”

She spent most of the last year shooting projects such as Govinda Naam Mera, Badhaai Do and Raksha Bandhan, and Pednekar, 32, promises that each project brings forward a different side of her personality. She says that 2022 will also be a busy one for her.

“2021 was a good year for me, when I shot four films. Even though great things were happening for me, a few months were really heartbreaking. It was a year when I along with my family fell sick, and recovered well. Now, I am very excited about all the films that I have completed. Also, this year will also be very busy with the projects that I have lined up. I am full of gratitude,” mentions the actor, who was last seen in Durgamati: The Myth.

At the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty which has followed the spike in virus cases, and restrictions being placed in several parts of the country. Pednekar, who also contracted the virus last year, admits to being worried.

“I hope people mask up, follow everything that government is saying… all the protocols. We have already seen some important states go into the yellow level of restriction. There are children who started going to schools. More than us, for the younger generation, we should kind of take on some responsibility and make sure that they don’t go through the last few years again,” asserts the actor.

During the second wave last year, Pednekar went out of the wave to help people sending SOS calls. And she says she is walking into 2022 with many lessons.

“If you have learned anything from the past, it is that we can’t let the third wave be as fatal as the second wave happen again. Economy needs to run and for us and we as people need to make sure that whatever we do, we do it responsibly so that the economy can run,” she concludes.