Nepotism debate

When Bhumi entered Bollywood, she faced allegations of benefiting from nepotism as her father is a well-known filmmaker. She defended herself stating she got work on her own merit.

Fairness cream ad

In 2014, Bhumi faced backlash for endorsing a fairness cream called Fair & Lovely in an ad. She was accused of promoting colorism. She later apologized for the ad.

Movie poster controversy

In 2017, the poster of her film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha was accused of promoting open defecation by showing a toilet in an open field. The poster was criticized but Bhumi defended it.

Comment on heroines’ weight

In an interview, Bhumi commented that Bollywood heroines need to put on weight to get meatier roles. Her statement was perceived as body-shaming and sparked outrage. She later clarified she did not intend to offend anyone.

Remark on skin color

While promoting the movie Bala in 2019, Bhumi said she was glad she was not born with dark skin. This colorist remark led to backlash online with people calling her out.

Role in Bala

In 2018, she was criticized for her role in the film “Bala”, in which she played a dark-skinned woman. Some people felt that it was wrong for a fair-skinned actress to darken her skin for the role, while others argued that she was simply playing a character.

Role in Pati Patni Aur Woh

In 2019, she was criticized for her role in the film “Pati Patni Aur Woh”, in which she played a housewife with a philandering husband. Some people felt that the film was sexist and promoted regressive gender stereotypes.

Comments on pay gap

In 2020, she was criticized for her comments about the pay gap in Bollywood. She said that she was paid five percent of what her male co-star was paid for the film “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan”. This led to a debate about the gender pay gap in the film industry.