Bhumika Chawla, the actor who played Nirjara in the 2003 blockbuster “Tere Naam,” believes that some films are unforgettable, and “Tere Naam” is one such movie. She considers it a beautiful compliment that audiences still remember her for the Satish Kaushik-directed Hindi romance tragedy. In a virtual interview with PTI, she said, “Some films make a mark, and they leave a mark so strong people cannot forget it. So, I take it as a beautiful compliment that people still remember me as Nirjara.”

Chawla is grateful for the love she has received for “Tere Naam.” However, she believes that the film industry should offer her more memorable roles if she wants to break through the mold. She said, “If I have to break through that mold, it is up to the industry…They have to offer me something which is a notch higher in terms of scripts or a character that people will accept and which will become huge. That’s how you go a step up. Till then, the fact that they remember me after so many years with this (character), is a blessing. I am grateful.”

Chawla recently reunited with Salman Khan for the movie “Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.” In the Farhad Samji directorial, she is paired opposite Venkatesh, with whom she worked in the 2002 Telugu film “Vasu.” Chawla described “Kisi Ka Bhai…” as a film where “two families belonging to different cultures” come together and connect over violence and non-violence. She plays Anandini, the sister-in-law of Pooja Hegde’s character Bhagya in the movie.

Chawla has worked across industries, including Tamil and Malayalam. She believes that talent and films always traversed boundaries, and what has propelled this movement today is social media and the impact of superhit titles such as “Pushpa: The Rise” and “RRR.” She said, “There was always a huge market. It’s just that social media and awareness of these films like ‘Pushpa’ and ‘RRR,’ which are really huge in terms of their production value, the actors or this whole grand set, has made it ‘bigger’… Suddenly, now it’s a lot more because in the last two or three years films like ‘Pushpa’, ‘RRR’, ‘Baahubali’, have done really well and it’s been back to back.”