Known for appearing in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, and Punjabi films, Bhumika Chawla is a Delhi-born actor, who is famous for films like
Okkadu,
Tere Naam, Missamma,
Gandhi My Father,
Buddy, and
Anasuya.
Early Life
Born and raised as Rachna Chawla in a Punjabi family in New Delhi, India, Bhumika Chawla`s father Colonel A S was an Indian Army officer, while her mother Bali Chawla, a housewife. She is the youngest child in the family with one elder brother, who is also in the Indian Army, and a sister. Bhumika kick-started her career in the glamour industry with advertisements and music videos and eventually broke into the silver screen. She was also a part of the teen drama series Hip Hip Hurray.
Personal LifeAfter four years of courtship, Bhumika Chawla tied the knot with Bharat Thakur, her yoga instructor, on 21st October 2007. The couple gave birth to a son in February 2014.
Movie Career
Bhumika made her big-screen debut with the Telugu film Yuvakudu in 2000 and in the following year, she starred in her first Tamil film Badri. Her performance was well noticed in both the industries and she soon starred in her second Telugu release Khushi opposite
Pawan Kalyan, which was a huge success at the box office. For her role in the movie, Bhumika bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu. Subsequently, she starred in a number of Tamil and Telugu hits like Roja Koottam,
Okkadu, and Missamma. For Missamma, Bhumika received the CineMAA Jury Award for Best Actress, in 2004.
After establishing a firm foothold in the Southern film industry, Bhumika made her Bollywood debut with the superstar
Salman Khan in
Satish Kaushik`s romantic drama
Tere Naam. Remake of the Tamil film Sethu, Tere Naam was a runaway hit and was amongst the highest grosser of 2003. She then featured in a number of Hindi films like Run, opposite
Abhishek Bachchan,
Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa, opposite Salman Khan, Silsilay, opposite
Rahul Bose, and Dil Jo Bhi Kahey, along with
Amitabh Bachchan.
In 2007, Bhumika essayed the role of Gulaab Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi`s daughter-in-law in
Feroz Abbas Khan`s Indian biographical drama
Gandhi My Father. The movie that also stars
Darshan Jariwala,
Akshaye Khanna, and
Shefali Shah received huge critical acclaim, winning with National Award in the category of Special Jury Award (Feature Film). In 2008, Bhumika Chawla appeared in her maiden Punjabi film Yaariyan, opposite
Gurdas Maan, and in 2009, she starred in
Bharamaram, which was her first film in the Malayalam industry.
She then acted in South Indian films like
Amaravathi,
Godfather,
Buddy, Chithirayil Nilachoru and,
Luv U Alia. Her 2016 release includes the biographical film
M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story. Directed by
Neeraj Pandey, the film stars
Sushant Singh Rajput in the titular role. Her 2019 releases include Khamoshi, Kolaiyuthir Kaalam and Ruler. Her 2021 project includes the sports drama film
Seetimaarr.