Jagmohan Singh Barhok
On Her Birth Anniversary
Bhumika Chawla, the loveliness personified girl next door, made her Hindi debut with film “Tere Naam” (2003) opposite Salman Khan, romantic drama directed by Satish Kaushik supported by Mahima Chaudhry & Ravi Kishan. Bhumika, also a former model, made her Telugu debut with director A. Karunakaran’s romance drama “Yuvakudu” (2000) also featuring Sumanth & Jayasudha. The film though was above average on the box office front, yet it received notice from different quarters. It was followed by a successful film “Kushi” (2001), starring noted actor, director & politician Pawan Kalyan. The film did wonders & was declared a blockbuster, with Bhumika earning Filmfare Best Actress Award Telugu.
.Born in a Sikh family in New Delhi, & having had her schooling there, Bhumika, daughter of a retired Army Oficer, is one of the three children of her parents. She moved to Bombay in late 1990s for pastures new , initially doing some add films & music videos including Zee TV 1998 serial “Hip Hip Hurray” directed by Nupur Asthana, before stepping into films. She also did a Punjabi film “Yaariyan” opposite singer-actor Gurdas Mann in 2008. She also appeared in horror Web Series “Bhram” (2019) starring Kalki Koechlin, Sanjay Suri & Eijaz Khan. Bhumika Chawla who predominantly worked in Telugu & Tamil films, occasionally appearing in Kannada & Malyalam, was respectfully received in Hindi films, too.Her “Tere Naam”(2003) opposite Salman Khan was a box office success grossing 24 crore worldwide. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote : “Salman is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid. Bhoomika Chawla reminds you of Bhagyashree. Her simple, humble, traditionally Indian character should go down very well with the viewers. Her performance is first-rate”.
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Some of her other notable films include the likes of “Okkadu” (2003), “Missamma” (2003), “Sillunu Oru Kaadhal” (2006), “Gandhi, My Father” (2007), “Anasuya” (2007),”Gangotri” -Bhojpuri” (2007) “Buddy”(2013) & “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” (2016 ) starring late Sushant Singh Rajput, Kiara Advani & Disha Patani. Sushant played Dhoni in the film. Kiran More trained him for months, making him well acquainted with the various sinews of cricket as a player & captain. The movie also received Filmfare Nomination in two categories. Released in 60 countries including USA & Canada, the film produced with a budget of US$30 million grossed US$60 million and was positively received.
Married her teacher and friend Bharat Thakur in 2007. The couple is blessed with a son. I liked her because of her non penchant for nudity , sans ‘nakhras’ and girl next door image like two other leading ladies of South films – Kajal Aggarwal & Samantha Ruth Prabhu who are my Face Book friends for years. Born this Day in 1978.
1Jagmohan Singh Barhok
