Bhumika's Malayalam debut
An�acute shortage of heroines is a major crisis�for Malayalam filmmakers today. The crisis is well reflected in State Award winning Malayalam director Blessy's decision to choose Tamil-Hindi-Telugu-Punjabi actress Bhumika Chawla (also spelt Bhoomika Chawla) as the heroine of his new untitled film with Mohanlal in the lead, her first�Malayalam film.
In this untitled film, Mohanlal plays a lorry driver plying through the high ranges of Kerala.�Shooting will start at the locations of Ernakulam, Coimbatore and Marayoor on February 10. The film is likely to be completed in one schedule. Mohanlal will join the sets after completing Sagar alias Jackie - Reloaded by director Amal Neerad.
Bhumika, born in New Delhi, started her career with ad films and Hindi music video albums in 1997. After appearing in the Zee TV serial Hip Hip Hurray, she debuted in mainstream films with�Yuvakudu (Telugu) in 2000. Her next was Pawan Kalyan starrer Khushi (2001), a box office success,�followed by several�Telugu and Tamil films.
After a number of critically and commercially successful films in these two languages, Bhumika debuted in Bollywood�with Tere Naam (2003) alongside Salman Khan, one of the highest grossing films in 2003. Her performance won her many positive notices as well as nominations for Best Debut at different award ceremonies. She was nominated for her first Filmfare Best Actress Award and won the Best Debut trophy at the Zee Cine Awards ceremony. In 2008, she was cast in a Punjabi film Yaariyan and married Bharat Thakur, a yoga teacher.
Meanwhile, Bhumika's upcoming Telugu film Naa Stylay Veru, directed by G. Ramprasad and produced by Maganti Gopinath, has almost completed�its shooting. The film will grace�theatres in February. Bhumika's�other Telugu film Yagam with actor�Navadeep, directed by P.A. Arun Prasad, will also be released in February.
