Bhumi Pednekar on Saand Ki Aankh: Learnt rifle shooting within 35 days

Bhumi Pednekar with Prakashi Tomar

At 29, Bhumi Pednekar has no reservations about playing a 60-something in her next, Saand Ki Aankh. But then, the actor has displayed a proclivity for unconventional roles from the start of her career. The Anurag Kashyap production sees Taapsee Pannu and her slip into the roles of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar respectively, two of the country's oldest women sharpshooters.

While Pednekar had learnt to handle the gun for Sonchiriya, she says that training in rifle shooting was a different ball game altogether: "I had to pick up rifle and pistol shooting for the role. I would train for one-and-a-half-hours, thrice a week for 35 days, at the shooting ranges in Worli and Dadar."

Currently filming for the Tushar Hiranandani-directed drama in Johri, Uttar Pradesh, the actor says that the film's message of empowerment resonated with her during the first narration itself. "It is a true story of courage because these women changed the ecosystem around them. Till 1995, they hadn't stepped out of their houses. But in their 60s, they took such a big step and became sharpshooters. Today, they travel all across the world and have earned recognition."

From tackling body shaming in her debut vehicle Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) to playing a house help in Lust Stories (2018), Pednekar's choices have been brave. Insisting that she is simply a channel to tell important stories, she adds, "Earlier, actors had a lot of power in their hands. Today, the power rests in the hands of the directors and writers, and that is how it should be. They are the visionaries and we are the doers."

Also Read: Taapsee Pannu: I'm playing one of the most difficult roles in Saand Ki Aankh

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