Bhumi Pednekar On Facing Flak For Calling Herself ‘Hero’ Of Durgavati: Hero Is A Gender-Neutral Term

A few weeks back, Akshay Kumar announced that he will be presenting a horror-thriller titled Durgavati, with Bhumi Pednekar in the lead. He and Bhumi, along with director Ashok, producer Vikram Malhotra and presenter Bhushan Kumar posed for a picture holding placards which announced their roles. Bhumi held the 'hero' card, but that has not gone down well with some people.

Bhumi received flak for calling herself the 'hero' of the movie because some thought that meant negating the importance of women in cinema. Bhumi addressed this issue to Mid-Day, when she said, "People need to look at the terms 'hero' and 'heroine' in a gender-neutral way, and not from the lens of Bollywood. If someone asks me who my 'hero' is, I'll say, it's my mother. I wouldn't call her the 'heroine' of my life, would I?" She simply meant to announce that she was the protagonist in the movie.

Durgavati will go on floors by January. Some speculate that it is a remake of the Telugu hit, Bhaagamathie which starred Anushka Shetty, Unni Mukundan, Jayaram, Vidyulekha Raman, and Usha Sarath.

A while back, Akshay had revealed why he thought Bhumi is perfect for the role. He had said that she would fit the bill of an IPS officer well as she has the girl-next-door image. This is the first film that Akshay is being a part of, where he is not an actor.

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