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Meet actor who marked successful debut with Salman Khan, lost on Jab We Met, Munna Bhai MBBS and now does selective work
Let’s talk about an actor who made her debut with Salman Khan, later lost opportunities in movies like Jab We Met and Munna Bhai MBBS. Find out more about her.
Making your entry into the film industry alongside Salman Khan is truly the stuff of dreams. Only a select few get the chance to turn this dream into reality and carve out their own path. Now, let’s discuss an actor who has shared the screen with stars like Abhishek Bachchan but missed out on roles in iconic films like Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met and Sanjay Dutt's Munna Bhai MBBS.
We’re talking about none other than Bhumika Chawla. She was born on August 21, 1978, and grew up in New Delhi, where she also completed her schooling. In 1997, she relocated to Mumbai to kickstart her career, initially working in advertisement films and Hindi music videos. Before achieving fame on the big screen, she made her mark in television with roles in the Zee TV series Hip Hip Hurray and Star Best Sellers – Fursat Mein.
After making her successful debut in the Telugu and Tamil film industry, Chawla bagged her first Bollywood film, Tere Naam (2003), alongside Salman Khan. Directed by Satish Kaushik, the romantic-drama film continues to enjoy a cult status with its evergreen musical album.
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan last year, Bhumika recalled getting a lot of big offers after her first film. However, she remained selective and choosy with the projects she did. The actress revealed that she signed a big film but later the hero, production house, the movie title, and of course the actress was changed.
She noted had she done that film, the situation would’ve been different for her. The 46-year-old actress shared that she held out for a year for that project and didn’t commit to anything else during that time. Eventually, she signed on for another film that didn’t come to fruition, and out of the films she participated in, half were successful while the other half didn’t perform as well.
“Ek hi baar mujhe bura laga tha, jab maine Jab We Met sign ki aur nahi hui (That’s the only time I’ve felt bad about losing a film). 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. 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 said.
Bhumika’s debut film in Bollywood was a breakthrough for her which was followed by her performances in movies like Run (2004), Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (2004), Silsilay (2005), and Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005), Family - Ties of Blood (2006).
After this, Bhumika distanced herself from the Hindi film industry. Nearly a decade later, she was seen in the 2016 movie M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. She portrayed the character of the cricketer's sister in the movie. The actress being choosy about the projects was then seen in 2019’s Khamoshi followed by 2022's Operation Romeo.
The actress reunited with Salman after two decades in 2023 with Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.
In her personal life, Bhumika has been happily married to Bharat Thakur, her yoga instructor. After dating for nearly four years, the couple got married on October 21, 2007, at Devlali, Nashik in a Gurdwara. They welcomed their first child, a son, in February 2014 who they named Yash.
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