Whats your lock down routine like? Currently, Im just spending a lot of time with my mom and my sister. Times like these make you realise that there is nothing above the safety of the people you love. Im reading a lot. Im going through my school history books. Im trying to understand programming because computers have always been so alien to me. Im studying climate change because thats something dear to me. And Im cooking. One day my mom and sister gave me so much attitude. I wanted banana bread and I was like Ill do it myself. Im not dependent on you guys anymore. I followed the recipe and I baked banana bread and since then I have not looked back. (Laughs) Now Im Bhumi the baker. And Im working out.

Do you feel there are too many donts in your life than dos as an actor? Its been four years and eight outstanding films. And the reasonI could make this space for me is because my first film was a big dont. No one could have imagined that there could be a film about a beautiful, overweight, firecracker of a girl. l just jumped into it. I was seventeen when I joined YRF. I dont come from a film family. Everyone thought I was crazy. My family couldnt help me. I just took my chances and look -- you and I are having this conversation right now...

Its interesting that you addressed the topic of body shaming because our movies constantly play up to a stereotype of a pretty, fair, perfect body. Not just the showbiz. It involves years and years of social conditioning. Luckily, when I joined cinema, there was a movement against stereotypes. I feel happy that I could be part of the revolution and now I feel good celebrating my flaws on celluloid. It has made me a confident person. Now I dont care if Im a couple of kgs heavier. There was a phase when I was shooting for Sonchiriya and people were like, Oh my God, you look so thin, you look sick. I was like its my choice, Ill do what is right for my character.

Lets talk of two roles you did last year, which shattered stereotypes - Sonchiriya and Saand Ki Aankh

My selfish motive of doing a film is personal growth as an actor, a great opportunity that is going to showcase another side of my talent, the greed to work in a good story and with good directors. And then comes all the other social fringes that are attached to that. Yes, I am a proud feminist and Im trying to use my craft to bring about change. Ill start off with Sonchiriya. I am a huge Abhishek Chaubey fan. I have loved all his films especially Ishqiya and Udta Punjab. He called me right after Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. That year was so amazing. I got calls from Zoya (Akhtar), Karan (Johar), Abhishek (Chaubey ) and I was like wow, thank God. I met him and he gave me a story narration. I was like I have to do this. I had a few questions like at my age, do I want to play a mother to a fifteen year old? Everybody was like why go to small-town India again? But I knew in a film like this and with a director like Abhishek Chaubey, he was going to keep at it till I sparkled. It was a different world and what my character did, what she stood for, the kind of courage she had, I was blown away by her. And she barely speaks in the film. It was a challenge and he did tell me that it was going to be tough both emotionally and physically. Sonchiriya changed my life.

It changed you how? I met this girl Khushi, who plays Sonchiriya. She is like a younger sister, a daughter to me. She comes on all my film sets. Ive been so fortunate that through her I made a family of 250-300 children in the ashram from where we cast her in Morena in Chambal. Those children have become part of my life. And that switch from being a self-centered person to somebody who actually cares about others happened because of that girl. I am a young woman, right? How did I develop such strong maternal instincts for someone? But that girl transformed me. She started living with me and brought such happiness in my life. I love her. I speak to these children every Sunday through a whatsapp video call. The experience that Khushi had while shooting for Sonchiriya has changed her life as well.

Tell us something about your prep work for the role.

Was it a surreal moment for you holding the Filmfare trophy for Saand Ki Aankh? You heard the three minute speech that I gave. I was so overwhelmed. It was special also because I dont think Ill ever be part of a film like Saand Ki Aankh again, where I feel so happy sharing the stage with my sister-in-arms. You know that notion that two actors cant be friends is all bullshit because for a film like Saand Ki Aankh it would have felt incomplete without Taapsee. A lot of people asked me why do you want to play an old woman on screen? Are you crazy? This is the peak of your career. When I do a film like Saand Ki Aankh, it comes at a cost. Me saying no to many other bigger films.

Do you regret saying no to any film? I get a mix bag of offers. I had a big-ticket film as well. But when I chose to do a film like Saand Ki Aankh, its, as I said earlier, for purely selfish reasons, for my personal growth. And what Ive achieved from Saand Ki Aankh, even a big-ticket film couldnt have done for me. I want to leave behind a legacy of good cinema and I know Saand Ki Aankh is part of that list. I know Sonchiriya is part of that list. Yes they didnt make hundred crores. But i could never own a hundred-crore film, like I own these films. It comes with a cost but its ok.

Any of your colleagues roles that youve seen recently that you wished youd done. Definitely Gully Boy and Im not going to say Alias part. Im going to say all of them from Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi to Vijay Verma -- all of them. That film is outstanding! I loved Kapoor & Sons. Im not going to pick one specific performance because I envy all good performers. I watched Thappad yesterday, all of them have done fantastic jobs. And I loved what Ayushmann did in Article 15. I would love to do a film like Article 15.

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I want to leave behind a legacy of good cinema. - Bhumi Pednekar - Filmfare