Some films are unforgettable and "Tere Naam" is one such movie, believes actor Bhumika Chawla, who played the demure Nirjara in the 2003 Salman Khan-led blockbuster.
The actor said it's a "beautiful compliment" that audiences still remember her for the Satish Kaushik-directed Hindi romance tragedy.
"Some films make a mark, and they leave a mark so strong people cannot forget it. So, I take it as a beautiful compliment that people still remember me as Nirjara," Chawla told PTI in a virtual interview.
While the actor is grateful for the love she has received for "Tere Naam", she believes the onus is on the film industry to give her more memorable parts.
"If I have to break through that mould, it is up to the industry...They have to offer me something which is a notch higher in terms of scripts or a character that people will accept and which will become huge. That's how you go a step up. Till then, the fact that they remember me after so many years with this (character), is a blessing. I am grateful," she added.
The 44-year-old actor reunited with her Salman for the recently released "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan". In the Farhad Samji directorial, she is paired opposite Venkatesh, with whom she worked in "Vasu", the 2002 Telugu film.
She described "Kisi Ka Bhai..." as a film where "two families belonging to different cultures" come together and connect over violence and non-violence.
Chawla plays Anandini, the sister-in-law of Pooja Hegde's character Bhagya in "Kisi Ka Bhai...".
"This time I am paired with Venky sir and it's nice, but we were all on the set together. So, I enjoyed the whole process… This time I'm not opposite Salman sir but I'm still there and have the kinds of scenes that impact the story," she added.
The Delhi-born actor started her film career in 2000 with the Telugu movie "Yuvakudu" and made her Hindi film debut with "Tere Naam".
As someone who has worked across industries, including Tamil and Malayalam, Chawla said talent and films always traversed boundaries. What has propelled this movement today is social media and the impact of superhit titles such as "Pushpa: The Rise" and "RRR".
"There was always a huge market. It's just that social media and awareness of these films like 'Pushpa' and 'RRR,' which are really huge in terms of their production value, the actors or this whole grand set, has made it 'bigger'. We always had female leads coming from the south and working here. Even Venkatesh sir and Nagarjuna sir have done a few films (in Hindi)," she said.
"Suddenly, now it's a lot more because in the last two or three years films like 'Pushpa', 'RRR', 'Baahubali', have done really well and it’s been back to back. When there's no gap, your memory takes it more. So, we’re kind of catering, it's become like that both ways," she added.
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