24 Frames is back with Bhumika Chawla Thakur. She started her career with Yuvakudu and from then she did sixteen films in Telugu language, four films in Tamil, seven in Hindi, one Punjabi, one Malayali and one Bhojpuri. Presently she is doing two Telugu films and one Tamil film. She is very selective in her stories and has earned the admiration of the Tollywood fraternity as a decent and dignified actress with remarkable acting prowess. What did you feel when you got your first chance?
 
After my first chance in Yuvakudu was confirmed, I was very excited and nervous too. I can never forget that foundation moment of my life.
 
What is your first earning and how did you spend it?
 
My first earning was Rs.2, 200/- when I was working as an employee in a company called HCL- HP. I took that packet and gave it to my mom. She has kept it till date without spending.
 
How was your first stage experience?
 
I had to speak on the mike before media for the first time during Yuvakudu press meet. It was a very new experience and I felt very nervous. But after that I got used to it.
 
When did you receive your first compliment?
 
When I was advertising for ‘Fair and Lovely’ in 1998, I had to shoot in a swimming pool continuously for three days. Then the M.D. of Lintas company came up to me and said “You are very talented and hard working…Keep it up”. That was my first compliment. Later when I was doing my first film, Yuvakudu, my guru and director Karunakaran said “You are doing more than my expectations…We will go a long way”- that was my first compliment in my film career.
 
How did you feel when you got your first success?
 
Though Yuvakudu is my first film, my first block buster hit is Kushi. After that every body used to call me Madhu. I got Film Fare award for that movie. I can’t express how much I enjoyed my first success.
 
How did you feel on your first failure?
 
Whenever success comes, people come and appreciate us but when failure comes no one will come and say something. It’s too late by the time we notice the failure so I don’t feel much or go into depression for a failure. But it doesn’t mean that I ignore nor neglect failure. I know that it teaches me to be cautious in life.
 
Any moment when you were very angry with yourself?
 
Life is an everyday and every minute learning process. Whoever knows life won’t get anger. I never get angry with myself because I love myself a lot.
 
Any moment when you were really angry with others?
 
I never get angry with anybody, but I get angry at the situations. If we can overcome the situation we can automatically overcome anger. At the beginning of my career my manager used to tell me a lot of lies and cheat me. Then I thought that removing him from the job is not a solution but forgiving him is a big punishment. I told him the same thing. As a result he is still working with me. I felt proud when I over came anger from this situation.

Is there any moment that you could describe as being in the seventh heaven, in your life?
 
I can’t say in a particular situation but it was in a particular period. I met Bharat Thakur on December 27, 2004, in a party given by Salman Khan. From then till my marriage day on October 21, 2007, that period was a seventh heaven of my life. In that period our friendship turned to love and to marriage.
 
What was your favorite subject in your school days?
 
Biology is my favorite because it makes us know how we are formed and we function.
 
Are you first/best/last in your life?
 
No first…no best…nor no last. I’m an average student with seventy percent marks. Only once I got eighty eight percent in Biology.
 
How was your first air journey experience?
 
Oh …that was an interesting episode. I even remember the date. When I was in plus two, during the holidays I took a flight from Delhi to Bombay on August 31, 1997. I didn’t even know how to put a seat belt. I was struggling with that, when an air hostess came and helped me. After the flight, I stood at the baggage counter very confidently and I was just watching while my luggage passed by. Then a handsome guy beside me said “I think that baggage is yours”. I said ‘ya’. He said “May I help you”…then I said smartly, ‘If you can’. Then I went with the bag stylishly as if I’d travelled by air for hundred times!

What are the top-3 movies which you like of yours?
 
Not top three…top four including one Hindi movie. Kushi,  Missamma, Anasuya and Tere Nam(Hindi).
 
Who is your favorite hero/heroine/director/actor?
 
My favorite heroes are Amitabh, Amir Khan and Sharukh Khan. Favorite heroines are Madhu Bala, Madhuri Dikshit and Julia Roberts. Favorite director is my first film’s director and my guru - Karunakaran. Favorite actors are Tom Hanks and Pran.
 
Any role models from your profession?
 
Madhuri Dikshit, Kajol and Soundarya.
 
Any incident that moved you a lot?
 
Every incident which belongs to terrorism disturbs me a lot. Bombay blasts, Taj hotel blast and many more. I fear that if we didn’t have a great protection called Indian Army we wouldn’t have any more independence and individuality.
 
Any co-star whom you would like to work with?
 
I love to work with all my co-stars and technicians. I’m always friendly with each and every co-star and technician as well.
 
Do you think growing professionally is great or growing personally is great?
 
All great professionals are not great human beings. So one should try to grow big as a human being than a huge professional.
 
What about your family? Are you your mom’s party or your dad’s party?
 
My mom, Iqbal Chawla, is a teacher and my dad A.S. Chawla is a retired military man. Besides my parents, my brother M.S. Chawla, my elder sister Dolly and I are there in the family. I’m the youngest of the family. My dad is a disciplined gentleman and my mom is sentimental, sensitive and traditional woman. I’m more attached to my mom. I think my mother is the sweetest and most lovable than any other mother.
 
What is the attachment you have with your native place and what did you do for it?
 
I was born in Delhi and brought up at Devali which is near Nasik (Maharashtra). Because of my father’s job transfers we used shift to different places for every two years so I don’t have a particular native place. But as I started my career and came up in Andhra Pradesh, I’m more attached to Telugu people. That is the reason we are doing all our businesses here and in future we plan to adopt few areas and do permanent service.
 
What is your opinion about politics and who is your favorite political leader?
 
Politics? ! …( exclaims with a Laugh).
 
Who is the first person who impressed you in the opposite sex?
 
I’m very far to such attractions, etc. but I had a small crush over Amir Khan after watching the romantic movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak!
 
Who is you favorite god and do you believe that your fate is in his hands or yours?
 
Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesh are my favorite gods. I also believe in Gurunanak Devji as a god. I believe that my life is completely in his hand because God is work and work is worship. Work is not as what we do but it is a responsibility.

What is your aim in life and in which stage are you in achieving it?
 
To be a good actress in my profession, to be a good human being, to be a good daughter to my parents, to be a good wife to my husband and to be a good mother for my children(not now)..So…it’s not a goal…it’s a never ending process of life.