# 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), Anasuya (2007), and Middle Class Abbayi (2017).

## Early life

Chawla was on born 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.
She moved to Mumbai in 1997 and started her career with Ad films and Hindi music video albums. She appeared in the Zee TV series Hip Hip Hurray and Star Best Sellers – Fursat Mein.

## Career

Chawla's film career began with 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), Silsilay (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 has a son.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
List of Bhumika Chawla film credits :
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2000 | Yuvakudu | Sindhu | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Badri | Janaki | Tamil | |
| 2001 | Kushi | Madhumitha / Bujji | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Snehamante Idera | Yuvarani Padmini | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Roja Kootam | Mano | Tamil | |
| 2002 | Vasu | Divya | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Okkadu | Swapna Reddy | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Missamma | Meghana | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Simhadri | Indu | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Tere Naam | Nirjara Bharadwaj | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Aadanthe Ado Type | Surya's lover | Telugu | Special appearance |
| 2004 | Run | Jhanvi Choudhry | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Samba | Nandu | Telugu | |
| 2004 | Naa Autograph | Divya | Telugu | |
| 2004 | Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa | Dhani | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Silsiilay | Zia Rao | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... | Dr. Gayarti Pandey | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Jai Chiranjeeva | Neelima | Telugu | |
| 2006 | Sillunu Oru Kaadhal | Ishwarya | Tamil | |
| 2006 | Family | Dr. Kavita Bhatia | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Mayabazaar | Anupama | Telugu | |
| 2007 | Gandhi, My Father | Gulab Gandhi | Hindi | |
| 2007 | Satyabhama | Satyabhama | Telugu | |
| 2007 | Gangotri | Gangotri | Bhojpuri | |
| 2007 | Anasuya | Anasuya | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Swagatam | Vidhya KK | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Mallepuvvu | Malleshwari "Malli" Kanneganti | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Yaariyan | Simran | Punjabi | |
| 2009 | Bhramaram | Jaya | Malayalam | |
| 2009 | Naa Style Veru | Parvati | Telugu | |
| 2009 | Amaravathi | Amaravathi | Telugu | |
| 2010 | Yagam | Nandini | Telugu | |
| 2010 | Thakita Thakita | Vishali | Telugu | Producer Special appearance |
| 2010 | Collector Gari Bharya | Indira Gautam | Telugu | |
| 2012 | Godfather | Herself | Kannada | Special appearance in the song "Aalapane Mellane" |
| 2013 | Buddy | Padma | Malayalam | |
| 2013 | Chithirayil Nilachoru | Mentally challenged person | Tamil | Special appearance |
| 2014 | Laddu Babu | Madhuri | Telugu | |
| 2014 | April Fool | Swapna | Telugu | Cameo |
| 2015 | Luv U Alia | Bhoomi | Kannada | |
| 2016 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | Jayanti Gupta | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Middle Class Abbayi | Jyothi | Telugu | |
| 2017 | Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal | Jayanthi | Tamil | |
| 2018 | U Turn | Maya | Tamil Telugu | Bilingual |
| 2018 | Savyasachi | Siri | Telugu | |
| 2019 | Khamoshi | Mrs. Desai | Hindi | |
| 2019 | Kolaiyuthir Kaalam | Mrs. Sawant | Tamil | |
| 2019 | Ruler | Niranjana Prasad | Telugu | |
| 2021 | Idhe Maa Katha | Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2021 | Paagal | Prem's deceased mother | Telugu | Cameo |
| 2021 | Seetimaarr | Bhumi | Telugu | |
| 2022 | Operation Romeo | Chhaya | Hindi | |
| 2022 | Sita Ramam | Mrinalini Sharma | Telugu | |
| 2022 | Butterfly | Advocate Vaijayanthi | Telugu | released on Disney+Hotstar |
| 2023 | Kannai Nambathey | Kavita / Savita | Tamil | Dual role |
| 2023 | Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan | Gundamaneni Anandini | Hindi | |
| 2024 | Brother | Anandhi | Tamil | |
| 2024 | Naam | Pooja | Hindi | Filmed in 2004; Released after 20 years |

### Web series

List of Bhumika Chawla film credits :
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2018 | Bhram | Ankita Paul | Hindi | Debut Web Series |

## Music videos

List of Bhumika Chawla music video credits :
| Year | Title | Performer(s) | Role | Album | Ref. |
| 2004 | "Maahiya" | Adnan Sami | Unnamed | 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 | Won |
| 2003 | Nandi Awards | Best Actress | Missamma | Won |
| 2004 | 51st Filmfare Awards South | Best Actress – Telugu | Missamma | Nominated |
| 2004 | 7th Zee Cine Awards | Best Female Debut | Tere Naam | Won |
| 2006 | 53rd Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Tamil | Sillunu Oru Kaadhal | Nominated |
| 2007 | Nandi Awards | Special Jury Award | Satyabhama | Won |
| 2008 | 55th Filmfare Awards South | Best Actress – Telugu | Anasuya | Nominated |
| 2008 | 6th Santosham Film Awards | Best Actress | Anasuya | Won |
| 2018 | 65th Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actress – Telugu | Middle Class Abbayi | Nominated |
| 2018 | 7th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Telugu | Middle Class Abbayi | Won |