Bhumika Chawla

Bhumika Chawla (born Rachna Chawla; 21 August 1978) is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in Telugu cinema, along with a few Hindi and Tamil films. She made her acting debut with the film Yuvakudu (2000) and subsequently became one of the leading female stars of Telugu cinema during the early 2000s. Her notable films include Kushi (2001), Okkadu (2003), Simhadri (2003), Tere Naam (2003), Jai Chiranjeeva (2005), Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), Badri (2001), and Middle Class Abbayi (2017).

Early life

Chawla was born on 21 August 1978 to a Punjabi Hindu family in New Delhi, India and completed her schooling there. Her father is a retired Army officer. Bhumika has two siblings, an elder brother and an elder sister.[citation needed]

She moved to Mumbai in 1997 and started her career with television advertisements and Hindi music video albums. She appeared in the Zee TV series Hip Hip Hurray and Star Best Sellers – Fursat Mein.

Career

Chawla's career began in 1998 with her first music video, "Yuhi Kabhi Mila Karo" performed by Zubeen Garg, which was her first on-screen appearance. She made her debut in the Telugu film industry, starring in the feature film Yuvakudu (2000) alongside actor Sumanth. Her second release, Kushi (2001), in which she starred opposite Pawan Kalyan was a box office success, winning her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu following which she acted in several films in Telugu, including Okkadu (2003) opposite Mahesh Babu and Simhadri (2003). Meanwhile, she made her debut in the Tamil film industry as well, starring in the film Badri (2001) opposite actor Vijay, which was followed by her second Tamil film Roja Kootam (2002).

After a number of critically and commercially successful films in the South, Chawla starred in her first Bollywood film, Tere Naam (2003), alongside Salman Khan. The film was one of the year's highest grossers. and won the Best Debut trophy at the Zee Cine Awards ceremony.

Subsequently, she starred in a number of Hindi films including Run (2004), Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (2004), Silsiilay (2005) and Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005). She returned to Telugu, acting in the films Naa Autograph (2004) and Jai Chiranjeeva (2005).

In 2006, Chawla appeared in the Tamil film Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, alongside real-life couple Surya and Jyothika which became a big hit worldwide. The same year she appeared in the Hindi film Family - Ties of Blood and the Telugu film Mayabazar. Following this, she acted in the Hindi film Gandhi, My Father as Gulab Gandhi and played the title roles in the Telugu films Satyabhama and Anasuya, a crime thriller.

In 2008, she made her debut in the Punjabi film industry, starring in Yaariyan, opposite Gurdas Maan, following which she debuted in Malayalam as well, starring in Bhramaram alongside Mohanlal. Later she was seen in Yagam and Thangar Bachan's Kalavadiya Pozhudugal. She also appeared in the 2016 movie M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. She portrayed the character of MS Dhoni's sister in the movie.

Chawla acted in the sports action movie Seetimaarr (2021). In 2024, she starred in the comedy-drama Brother, directed by M. Rajesh. The film was released in theaters on October 31, 2024, and later premiered on the ZEE5 OTT platform on November 29, 2024.

Personal life

Chawla married her long-time boyfriend and yoga teacher, Bharat Thakur, on 21 October 2007 at Devlali, Nashik in a Gurdwara. The couple have a son.

Filmography

Television

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

External links

• at IMDb
• at Bollywood Hungama