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Exclusive: Bhumi Pednekar on 'Daldal', imposter syndrome and why she’s done being hard on herself
The Bollywood actor opens up about her de-glam cop avatar, online trolling, entrepreneurship, and her next big projects
- PUBLISHED: Wed 11 Feb 2026, 4:42 PM
Bhumi Pednekar is unstoppable. With her latest release, Daldal, she's proving why she's one of India's finest actresses. In this exclusive, heartfelt interview with Khaleej Times, she talks candidly about her craft, her passion for acting, how social media gets overwhelming, and the love she's receiving for her latest role. Edited excerpts from the conversation:
Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, Bhakshak, Daldal - your choice of films brings out an actor’s potential. Which has been the most exciting and challenging role you’ve played so far?
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One of my most challenging roles to date has been Daldal. It is so different from who I am. On paper, this character was so complex and broken. A product of a failed system. An actor usually has a lot of tools, like dialogues; I hardly have dialogues in Daldal. The character I play in this series is a person of very few words. She doesn’t know how to receive love and praise. There was so much going on with this character, with so little externally for me to do. So, this was definitely the most challenging role I have done. The most exciting movie has to be my first film (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), I was over the moon when I signed it. It’s one for the books. Even after 10 years, it’s still a part of every conversation.
Daldal, your latest release, is getting a lot of praise. Your acting is being appreciated. It’s a completely de-glam avatar. How did you prepare for the role?
One of the biggest things I had in mind when I had read about the character of DCP Rita Ferreira was that I don’t want to follow the conventional playbook that’s usually written about characters in uniform. So, if you see DCP Rita Ferreira you wouldn’t know she’s a cop. She’s a petite, broken girl with red eyes and eye bags. She was unlike any cop. So, I wanted to bring those little details to the character. When you work with a team that’s so phenomenal – with material that is so complete, the outcome is fantastic. Honestly, our prep was just directors, Suresh (Triveni) sir, Amrit (Raj Gupta) and the writers speaking at length. I had so much to dig into and learn. We made the character a lot more silent and restrained. I had a big fear that people might feel I am not doing anything on screen. I was constantly questioning that. But it was the writers, producers and directors’ conviction that gave me confidence. Now, I feel so glad I listened to them.
What do you think clicked with the audience with Daldal?
Honestly, we made the show with a lot of honesty. This is a show that’s high on craft. There was so much attention to detail. If they wanted to shoot in natural light, we waited for three hours and shot the scenes. My performance is being appreciated but Aditya Rawal and Samara Tijori’s performances are being celebrated. Why did that happen? Because the environment on the set was so nurturing for every actor, DOP, production designers, all of us. The audience saw the nuance and hard work. I didn’t expect it, but I hoped it would happen. My expectations were neutral. I just wanted the show and all of us to land. I am full of gratitude and humility that it did.
How was the whole experience of working on a dark crime thriller?
Suresh Triveni is a force of nature who set all of this up for us. It was a joint effort between him and Amrit. There were days when Amrit (Raj Gupta) and I would even argue because, as an actor, I wanted those dialogues to express myself(physically and emotionally). But I would argue for the sake of it, maybe because I was just being insecure. Later, I realised why Amrit stood his ground and that worked for the show. So, kudos to him and the entire team.
Do you feel that your core lies in mainstream, hard-hitting roles as opposed to glamorous roles?
Yes, 100 percent. My core is in acting first and in performance first parts. Even when I do slightly potboiler commercial work, I go for characters that are layered. I want to play female characters that have agency and that come with responsibility as an actor. I want to celebrate myself. Usually, women are told not to. And I am also dealing with imposter syndrome, like my character Rita (in Daldal). All of us, in general, feel that when good things happen, it’s too good to happen. It’s a healing journey, and I also deal with that.
After being in the industry for more than 10 years now, what lessons do you want to carry forward to the next decade?
I want to detach myself from the way people see me or how well my work is doing. I have been very hard on myself, but I am done doing that. My goals are very high. I’m very ambitious and driven. I don’t even think I have achieved 10 per cent of what I want to do. A lot of that achievement was attributed to how my films were doing earlier.
Now, a lot of that has to do with my life outside my movies. I don’t think ambition is just about success. It is about what your eventual goal is. I want to leave an impact with my cinema, philanthropic work and entrepreneurial work. I feel I have the soft power as an actor, which I want to utilise.
I do love money and success, and there was a time when I was miserable in the middle because there was so much value that I had attached to that. I objectified myself. I don’t want to do that anymore.
You’ve also turned into an entrepreneur with Back Bay Life and some more. Tell us more about that role?
I chose to take a voluntary break from my film work so I have time to help Back Bay grow. I feel I am a nurturer. I like building things and this brand has been that. We aim to set better, safer and hygienic standards in the beverage industry. We want to keep giving good products. I am very driven and hopeful about this venture. We want to create a legacy brand that people can trust.
Social media gets overwhelming. As a public figure, how do you deal with online negativity? Any tips for younger folks on handling digital criticism?
Social media is overwhelming for everyone, celebrity or not. So many kids are bullied online. We need to be worried. Being in the public eye, there’s a lot of public opinion we have to deal with. We have opened ourselves to that opinion, and I want it. But I want it in a kinder, empathetic way. Do I get affected? Yes, I do. I have spent nights crying. I have seen my family getting affected by some really upsetting, mean things. People don’t see the repercussions of their comments because that’s the environment social media creates but there is a long-lasting impact on mental health.
Who are your biggest inspirations who have influenced the work you do?
I keep going back to my sister, my mum and some of my closest girlfriends. I am lucky to have invested in friendships that don’t care about how my career is, but they care about how my mental health is. They are not judging me. They have supported me in all the choices I have made in life. I love listening to female achievers and podcasts of inspirational people. That inspires me!
I feel being vulnerable is a necessity today. We all live such pretentious lives that we’ve forgotten what real is. I mean it — through my experiences and my mistakes as well.
So what next? Tell us about your upcoming projects.
So, there’s a romcom with Imran Khan (Aamir Khan’s nephew). It’s his comeback film. I, as a teenager, watched Imran’s romcoms and I thoroughly enjoyed them and somehow missed that genre. But this is a more evolved, grown-up and mature view of what relationships are. A lot of the narrative is drawn from Imran’s personal experience. So, I’m definitely excited for this one to be out.