By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
On Her Birth Anniversary
Bhumika Chawla, the simplicity personified girl next door, made her Hindi debut with film “Tere Naam” (2003) opposite Salman Khan, a 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 Officer, is one of the three children of her parents. She moved to Bombay in late 1990s for pastures new. She initially did 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 predominantly featured in Telugu & Tamil films, occasionally appearing in Kannada & Malayalam,and respectfully received in Hindi films, too. Her “Tere Naam”(2003) opposite Salman Khan was a box office success grossing 24 crore worldwide.
