Bhumika Chawla

Bhumika Chawla (born Rachna Chawla; 21 August 1978) is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in Telugu , along with a few Hindi and Tamil cinema films. She made her acting debut with the film Yuvakudu 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. 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 C. Joseph 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

+ List of Bhumika Chawla film credits Year Title Role Language Notes 2000 Yuvakudu Sindhu Telugu 2001 Badri Janaki Tamil Kushi Madhumitha / Bujji Telugu Snehamante Idera Yuvarani Padmini 2002 Roja Kootam Mano Tamil Vasu Divya Telugu 2003 Okkadu Swapna Reddy 2015 Luv U Alia Bhoomi Kannada 2016 M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story Jayanti Gupta Hindi 2017 Middle Class Abbayi Jyothi Telugu Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal Jayanthi Tamil 2018 U Turn Maya TamilTelugu Bilingual film Savyasachi Siri Telugu 2019 Khamoshi Mrs. Desai Hindi Kolaiyuthir Kaalam Mrs. Sawant Tamil Ruler Niranjana Prasad Telugu 2021 Idhe Maa Katha Lakshmi Paagal Prem's deceased mother Cameo Seetimaarr Bhumi 2022Operation Romeo Chhaya Hindi Sita RamamMrinalini SharmaTelugu Butterfly Advocate VaijayanthiReleased on Disney+Hotstar 2023 Kannai Nambathey Kavita / Savita Tamil Dual role Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Gundamaneni Anandini Hindi 2024 Brother Anandhi Aravind Tamil Naam Pooja Hindi Delayed release, Filmed in 2004 2025 School Anbarasi Tamil 2026EuphoriaVindhya VemulapalliTeluguTBA Kesar Singh Kesar Singh Hindi

Television + List of Bhumika Chawla television credits Year Title Role Language Notes 2018 Bhram Ankita Paul Hindi

Music video appearances + List of Chawla's music video appearances Year Title Performer(s) Role Album 1998 "Yuhi Kabhi Mila Karo" Zubeen GargUnnamed Yuhi Kabhi 2004 "Maahiya" Adnan Sami Teri Kasam

Awards and nominations + List of Bhumika Chawla awards and nominations Year Award Category Film Result 2002 49th Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu Kushi 2004 51st Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu 20037th Zee Cine AwardsBest Female DebutTere Naam 2004Filmfare AwardFilmfare Best Actress AwardNominatedStar Screen AwardBest ActressNominated 2007 54th Filmfare Awards South Best Supporting Actress – Tamil Sillunu Oru Kaadhal 2007 Nandi Awards Special Jury Award Satyabhama 2008 55th Filmfare Awards South Best Actress – Telugu Anasuya 6th Santosham Film Awards Best Actress 2018 65th Filmfare Awards South Best Supporting Actress – TeluguMiddle Class Abbayi 7th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Supporting Actress – Telugu