Bhumika Chawla is one among the few heroines in Indian cinema who possess both glamour and acting skills. Born as Rachana Chawla into a Punjabi Army family, the Delhi-based beauty moved to Mumbai in 1997 to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. After a brief stint in music videos and ads, she made her small screen debut by appearing in the series ‘Hip Hip Hurray’.
After making her film debut with Sumanth’s ‘Yuvakudu’, Bhumika rose to fame and achieved overnight stardom with the 2001 blockbuster ‘
Kushi’ starring alongside Power Star
Pawan Kalyan. With blockbusters like ‘
Okkadu
’ and ‘
Simhadri
’ in the same year, the starlet earned her big Bollywood break with
Salman Khan’s ‘Tere Naam’ in 2003.
Bhumika Chawla married her boyfriend and Yoga Guru Bharat Thakur in 2007 after dating him for nearly four years. The couple is blessed with a boy. On her 40th
birthday
, let's watch some of Bhumika’s cracking songs that are sure to leave you mesmerised.
'Ammaye Sannaga' Bhumika bagged the Filmfare Award (Best Actress) for her second film in Telugu titled ‘Kushi’. The romantic-action film was a huge hit and smashed all records at the Telugu box office then. Though it’s the remake of a Tamil film of the same name, Pawan Kalyan and Bhumika’s sizzling chemistry along with superb songs from Mani Sharma turned it into a special one. ‘Ammaye Sannaga’ was especially popular among the youth in the early 2000s.
'Paataku Pranam' 'Paataku Pranam', the fast-paced peppy number sung by KK and Swarnalatha became an instant hit even before the film’s release. Bhumika’s glamorous avatar accompanied by Venkatesh’s cool look and the wonderful choreography made this song a visual treat. All songs in ‘Vasu’ composed by Harris Jayaraj turned out to be super-hits with 'Paataku Pranam' and 'Sportive Boys' becoming chartbusters.
'Nuvvem Maya Chesavo' Bhumika Chawla’s portrayal as Swapna Reddy in
Mahesh Babu’s maiden blockbuster ‘Okkadu’ was highly appreciated by critics and viewers alike. The film has garnered eight Nandi Awards and four Filmfare Awards along with massive collections at the ticket counters. This special song composed by Mani Sharma features both the actors in a romantic mood and their incredible dance moves say it all. Right after ‘Okkadu’, Bhumika won the Nandi Award (Best Actress) for ‘Missamma’ in 2003.
Nuvvu Whistlesthe' After noticing her impressive acting skills in films, SS Rajamouli roped Bhumika in as the female lead opposite
Junior NTR in the 2003 blockbuster ‘Simhadri’. Her performance as a mentally-challenged girl, Indu received a big thumbs-up from the audience. She also displayed terrific dance moves in the super-hit mass number 'Nuvvu Whistlesthe' alongside Tarak and Ankitha.
'Mounamgane' 'Mounamgane', the inspirational number brilliantly crooned by Chitra in Ravi Teja’s ‘Naa Autograph’ is among the evergreen Telugu songs. It tells us to not get bogged down by failures in life and encourages us to keep growing as an individual with hard work and dedication. The song is a reflection of Bhumika’s character's positive attitude and the way she inspires those around her. The actress delivered a noteworthy performance along with Ravi Teja in this inspiring film.
'Thumbs Up Thunder' Bhumika shared the screen with Megastar
Chiranjeevi in ‘Jai Chiranjeeva’. Despite the average result of the flick, the song 'Thumbs Up Thunder' turned out to be a big hit among the masses.
After ‘Tere Naam’ in 2003, Bhumika appeared in quite a few Hindi films like ‘Run’, ‘Dil Ne Jisa Apna Kahaa’ and ‘Silsiilay’. Coming back to Tollywood in 2007, she played the lead role in Ravi Babu’s female-centric thriller ‘Anasuya’ which became a massive hit.