Bhumi Pednekar

Bhumi Satish Pednekar, born on 18 July 1989, is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Known primarily for playing headstrong small-town women, she worked as an assistant casting director at Yash Raj Films for six years before making her acting debut. Over the course of her career, she has received three Filmfare Awards and established herself through a combination of commercially successful films and critically recognized roles.

Pednekar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Satish Pednekar, a Konkani MLA and former Home and Labour Minister of Maharashtra, and Sumitra Hooda Pednekar, a Haryanvi anti-tobacco activist. She attended Arya Vidya Mandir in Juhu. At age 15, she enrolled at Whistling Woods International to study acting using a study loan, but was expelled due to poor attendance. To repay the loan, she joined Yash Raj Films under Shanoo Sharma, working as an assistant casting director for six years.

She made her acting debut in the romantic comedy Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), gaining nearly 12 kilograms for her role as an overweight bride. Her performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. That same year, she starred in the web series Man's World. Pednekar achieved wider prominence with the satire Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017). She subsequently appeared in Zoya Akhtar's segment of the anthology film Lust Stories in 2018.

In 2019, Pednekar starred in the crime drama Sonchiriya, followed by the biographical film Saand Ki Aankh, where her portrayal of septuagenarian sharpshooter Chandro Tomar earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She maintained her commercial success that year with roles in Bala and Pati Patni Aur Woh. Pednekar later appeared in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare and Durgamati, before starring as a closeted lesbian in Badhaai Do (2022), which won her a second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and another nomination for Best Actress.

Pednekar's subsequent film releases included Raksha Bandhan, Govinda Naam Mera, and the social dramas Bheed and Afwaah in 2023. She later appeared in Thank You for Coming, The Lady Killer, and portrayed a journalist in the crime drama Bhakshak (2024). In 2025 and 2026, she expanded her work into streaming series and films, including Mere Husband Ki Biwi, the romantic drama series The Royals, and the thriller series Daldal.

Off-screen, Pednekar is an active environmental advocate who launched the Climate Warrior campaign in 2019 to raise awareness about global warming. In 2023, the United Nations Development Programme appointed her as India's first National Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals. She has also spoken out against the gender pay gap, participated in MTV India's Nishedh campaign on youth health issues, and served as a brand ambassador for Nykaa.