Bhumi Pednekar horrified by viral video of men groping women's poster in viral video

Actor Bhumi Pednekar has reacted strongly to a video showing some men making obscene and groping gestures looking at a woman’s wall painting near a swimming pool. Her response comes at a time after the last few days have seen several reports of deaths, especially of Twisha Sharma and Deepika Nagar, linked to dowry harassment and mental torture drew widespread attention.

Sharing the clip on Instagram Stories, Bhumi said the video reflected a troubling mindset and called for stronger legal action. The incident, first shared by the Instagram account Tube Indian, spread quickly on social media and prompted sharp reactions online.

What Bhumi said

Reposting the video, Bhumi wrote, “This is the mentality of our youth. These are the same people who are going to sexually assault children and women. We are in a pandemic. Just words and showing shame isn't enough. Stricter laws, stricter laws, stricter laws (sic).”

This is not the first time the actor has spoken out over such incidents. In January, she said she was deeply disturbed by reports that a six-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three boys aged 10, 13 and 14 in Delhi. Reacting to the case, she described the accused as monsters and said society was failing because people still believed they could get away with sexual violence.

Bhumi had then said, “Breaks my heart to see underage boys go through with something so heinous. Imagine the environments they are growing up in. We are punishing the voiceless in our country, and have sensationalised, dogs being a threat.”

In the last few days, Kangana Ranaut and Ridhi Dogra have also spoken on issues surrounding women, marriage and the question of not valuing their own independence enough.

On the work front

Bhumi made her acting debut in Dum Laga Ke Haisha opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. She was last seen in Prime Video’s series Daldal, directed by Amrit Raj Gupta and based on Vish Dhamija’s bestselling book, Bhendi Bazaar. In the show, she played DCP Rita Ferreria, who must track down a serial killer who slits his victims’ wrists.

The series also stars Samara Tijori and Aditya Rawal in lead roles, with Geeta Agrawal, Chinmay Mandlekar, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, Rahul Bhat, Sandeep Kulkarni, Shivraj Walvekar, Sandesh Kulkarni and Jaya Bhattacharya in supporting parts. It was released on January 30.