Bhumi Pednekar Says Mastering Bundelkhandi for 'Sonchiriya' Was Her Toughest On-Screen Challenge

Mumbai: Actress Bhumi Pednekar has revealed that the most challenging language she has had to learn for a film was Bundelkhandi, saying it required months of dedicated training before she could perform confidently on screen.

Speaking exclusively to IANS during the promotions of her 2025 film Mere Husband Ki Biwi, Bhumi said she enjoys learning different languages and dialects for her roles, but the Bundelkhandi dialect proved to be the most demanding.

"I love picking up different languages, but the toughest will have to be Bundelkhandi, which I adopted in 'Sonchiriya'. I had training for that for many months," she said.

Bhumi spoke the Bundelkhandi dialect in the 2019 crime drama Sonchiriya, which featured the late Sushant Singh Rajput alongside Ashutosh Rana and Ranvir Shorey.

Set in the ravines of Chambal, the film revolves around a group of dacoits who call themselves Baaghis (rebels). The story is told almost entirely in the Bundeli dialect, making linguistic authenticity a key element of the film. The critically acclaimed drama was co-written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey.

Talking about her more recent release, Mere Husband Ki Biwi, Bhumi starred alongside Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh in the romantic comedy directed by Mudassar Aziz. The supporting cast included Shakti Kapoor, Anita Raj, Dino Morea and Aditya Seal.

Released in theatres on February 21, 2025, Mere Husband Ki Biwi featured cinematography by Manoj Kumar Khatoi, editing by Ninad Khanolkar, and music composed by John Stewart Eduri. Despite its ensemble cast, the film failed to make a significant impact at the box office.

With inputs from IANS