Bhumi Pednekar was last seen in The Royals opposite Ishaan Khatter. This was in May 2025. The actress, as she mentioned, has not "been on a set since June" after The Royals. She recently opened up about how the harsh criticism of The Royals left her feeling "numb". She also spoke about the much-needed break she took to recuperate and rediscover herself.
What's Happening
- In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Bhumi Pednekar said, "There was a lot of trolling, a lot of bots. But between all of that, there was a lot of constructive criticism as well. And that was one experience that got me to take some really drastic decisions for my life in 2025. One of them was taking a break. I didn't announce it because I didn't want to dramatise it."
- She continued, "I saw some fairly scathing reviews of The Royals, but it was renewed for Season 2, which means it's a hit, right? Now, when you get such polarised responses, how do you decide what to keep and what to discard as an artist? I think when there is so much noise, you get numb. I was numb because I had never gone through such an experience where the outside world had so much to say."
- "I had become numb to other people's experiences because you live in a bubble. It's very important for every actor to get out of that bubble. That experience shook me. I'm very happy and fortunate that people watched it (The Royals). Something good came out of it. But the best thing that came out of it was that I reconnected with Bhumi as a person and Bhumi, the actor," added Bhumi Pednekar.
On Taking A Break
Bhumi Pednekar revealed what she has been doing since June last year to find herself again.
Continuing about how the response to The Royals led her to take "drastic decisions" for her life in 2025, she said, "I took a break. I haven't been on a set since June. Many times, when an actor admits to that, there's a lot of negative connotation attached to it. But it was something I did voluntarily, and it's the best decision I've taken for myself."
She travelled extensively, took a course at Harvard University, read books and watched films.
"I didn't have any real experiences left in me that I could bring to my craft. And that scared me. One of the biggest fears I always had was that I didn't ever want to be mediocre, and I think I reached that point. It was important for me to accept that and not be in denial. Because I know what I'm capable of doing. I went back and watched some of my work because I was lost. I was like, can I actually act? Do I have it in me?" said the actress.
Next Up For Bhumi Pednekar
Up next, Bhumi Pednekar is set for the release of her Prime Video web series Daldal, directed by Amrit Raj Gupta. She finished shooting for the project last month. In an elaborate social media post, the actress documented the challenges she and the crew faced during filming. Bhumi also revealed that she played one of the "most complex characters" in Daldal.
