Exclusive/ Kriti's Mimi Co-star Sai Tamhankar Addresses Allegations Of 'Misrepresentation' Of Surrogacy In Film

Bhumi Pednekar starrer crime drama Bhakshak premiered on OTT recently and is earning a positive response from viewers. movie is loosely based on Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case of 2018 that shook nation. In Pulkit’s directorial Bhakshak, Bhumi plays role of a journalist who braves all odds in her search for justice for young girls who were victims of alleged sexual abuse.

Apart from Bhumi, movie also stars Sai Tamhankar as SSP Jasmeet Kaur. Even though her role is restricted to second half of film with limited screen time, Sai manages to weave her character well into storyline and her understated act stands out.

In an exclusive conversation with Republic, Sai spoke about her role in Bhashak and touched upon more aspects of her life and career.

Bhakshak is an important film: Sai Tamhankar

When asked what me her accept role in Bhakshak, Sai said, “I think it is an important film and we all are very happy to be a part of it. It's an amazing script and I think director's research is what impressed me most.”

However, she remained tight-lipped about wher Bhakshak is inspired by Muzaffarpur case. On a dejected note, she expressed that cases of child sexual abuse are rampant and her film is an earnest attempt to highlight one of m. “I will say one thing that cases as such keep happening. y happen very often. And this is a representation of all evil that we have in society, evil that we choose to ignore,” she said.

Sai has worked in film industry for over 15 years now and after featuring in films across languages, she said that she resonates more with Marathi and Hindi cinema.

Sai Tamhankar dresses controversy surrounding Mimi

Sai played character of Shama in Mimi (2021) which went on to earn actress Kriti Sanon her first National Award for Best Actress. However, according to several medical reports, movie largely misrepresented concept of surrogacy around which film was centralised.

Talking about it, she said, “I think universal message that we wanted to send is love. Love is important. I think beyond that, it's a waste of time to say wher it's right or wrong and it was criticised. You don't do anything, people criticise you anyway. Also, to convey a good message, sometimes you have to take a little liberty. I think we deserve it, all of us.”

Sai Tamhankar on dealing with criticism of her work

Sai shared that criticism of her work affects her but it's part of business. “We all are human beings at end of day. It does bor us. But we have developed certain skills as to how to handle it, how to deal with it, wher to deal with it or not to deal with it. So with practice, we have all of us. se are must-haves when you sort of accept this profession. But yes, y do affect and sometimes, you have to let it go because this is a huge part of our profession.”

Touching upon her personal life, Tamhankar confessed that she has “been lucky and unlucky” in love.

Sai Tamhankar on dealing with rejections in showbiz

Sai shared that rejection is a part of showbiz and one has to learn to take it in right ste. “It fuels me. It makes me go faster, work harder”, she said while ding, “It happens on a daily basis. You audition for things and things don't work out and you feel equally heartbroken every time. I accept it and move on. I get fueled, motivated, and work on myself. What else can I do?”

My far’s death was lowest point of my life: Sai Tamhankar

Sharing a personal memory and how it shaped her life, Mimi actress said, “When I lost my d, I became a scared child left alone in this world to survive on its own. That felt something, but it also me me what I am today.”

Sai Tamhankar on plight of women in cinema

While re are movies like Bhakshak that sensitively deal with issues that affect women, controversial films like Kabir Singh and Animal continue to rule box office. Talking about representation of women in cinema, Sai said “What we expect and what we get are two different things, we often entangle m and we get hurt. I think we should stop doing that. Definitely, I think re are people who still take stands, who still have a different thought process and y are abiding by it. So I wouldn't say that it's a very b decision. Things will change, but slowly. We can't apply our social media speed here. It's just not fair. It's going to take time but it has seen change over past 10 years.”

She ded, “ fight is still on, isn't it? We've not lost hope. I wouldn't want to sound this disappointing because I know fight is on and I know it's a long fight, but it's a fair fight and it has a good intent. Anything which has a good intent always wins. So let's just wait.”

On a parting note, Sai shared, “Life itself is so unpredictable. It's full of surprises. re's a grasp to it and it doesn't go straight. re are always ups and downs. I'm constantly creating something nice, something good, full of goodness.”

actress is currently seen judging Sony Marathi’s comedy show Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra.