‘Hide my slippers’: Bhavna Pani reveals Akshay Kumar’s pranks on Bhooth Bangla set
(Photos: Wamiqa Gabbi, Bhavna Pani/Instagram)
Following the digital release of Akshay Kumar’s Bhoot Bangla, several members of the film’s cast received renewed appreciation from audiences. Among them was actress Bhavna Pani, who recently featured on IMDb’s list of the most-searched Indian celebrities. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Bhavna spoke about working with Akshay Kumar, sharing screen space with veteran actor Asrani, and the film’s box office performance. Bhavna Pani on Bhoot Bangla and its reception Talking about working in Bhoot Bangla, Bhavna Pani said, “I didn’t know what I was signing up for. I got a call from Priyan sir, then Balaji, and then the writer explaining the story and the character. I signed the film based on these three phone calls. I knew what the cast was, and I was directing a musical at that time, so I was shooting for both things simultaneously. I didn’t have the luxury to be intimidated by my film set because my mind was invested in other places. I had other responsibilities too. I went in there like I was going to the office. Priyan sir makes the set so comfortable, and on top of that, Akshay sir makes you laugh all the time. I never imagined my role would come so prominently in the film. When you shoot, you are not sure how much of it will make it to the final edit. It was late in the day when I saw the film and realised that whatever I shot made it to the film. I was shocked. I worked with Priyan sir in the Malayalam film Vettam in 2005.”Also Read: Akshay Kumar recalls late Asrani’s advice to ‘never produce a film’, weighs in on Rajpal Yadav’s case: ‘Told him not to produce films’ Although the film found appreciation after its digital release, it was met with largely negative reviews during its theatrical run. Sharing her take on Bhoot Bangla’s run at the box office, Bhavna Pani said, “I just know that the film did good business. All the producers were very happy. Critically, it wasn’t liked by everyone, especially Gen Z, because it had old-school humor, and it had a nice, chilled-out pace. Right now, in the reel culture, we are used to seeing joke after joke. This film didn’t have that. I know the film did over Rs 250 cr worldwide, and everyone was very happy. Every film gets its reaction. Mixed reactions are very welcome. It’s all good.” Bhavna also spoke about how Bhoot Bangla opened new doors for her and reacted to being named one of IMDb’s most-searched Indian celebrities. She shared, “I discovered that people noticed me when IMDB shared a list of the most searched Indian celebrities. The film had been released on Netflix that week, so people were curious, and I was surprised. It was all unexpected, which is why I didn’t promote the film on my own. I thought people wouldn’t notice me so much. But it just blew out of proportion. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. Professionally, it has opened up a second innings of my film career.” Bhavna Pani on working with Akshay Kumar and Asrani As Bhavna Pani looked back on her time filming Bhoot Bangla, she recalled Akshay Kumar’s pranks on set. She said, “He was cool and calm. Jokes were often exchanged between him and Paresh Rawal. We played a lot of Ludo on set. All my days, I was shooting with Akshay sir. So from the first day, he would joke with me. He used to throw my book, hide my slippers, so I was very careful around him; anything could happen. Of course, he played pranks on set. He would make you repeat some words after him, and in that flow, he would make you say something stupid. There were cute, sweet, silly moments on set. He used to trouble Wamiqa Gabbi a lot, even Rajpal Yadav. I feel so lucky that I was in all the iconic shots in the film.”
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