Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill and the women of ‘Thank You For Coming’ on female pleasure, sisterhood and more

In a room of 10 people, if I ask how many love a good chick flick, at least eight would raise their hands—yes, I am including men in this assumption because they can pretend all they want, but we know the truth—and the ones that depict healthy female friendships have a special place in our hearts. That is why we are so eagerly waiting to watch Ekta Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor’s Thank You For Coming. Pun intended. 

This genre-paving movie starring actors Bhumi Pednekar, Shenaaz Gill, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, and Shibani Bedi, is about female friendships, relationships and, of course, orgasms. The cast spoke about their movie, the stigma around sex, female pleasure, and the bond they share, at the India Today Conclave in a session titled—‘What Women Want: Breaking Taboos on Female Pleasure and Desire’. Let's get into everything that was discussed! 

About their movie and female pleasure 

The session started with Pednekar being asked whether she had some apprehensions before signing this movie, considering all that it stands for. She said, “Not at all. Honestly, once I heard the narration, I was like 'thank God this film came my way'. I have waited long enough to do a front-footed comedy because I am sick and tired of just seeing boys having all the fun. I mean, you’ll always see men headlining sex comedies, specifically and I was like, 'bring it on'. I believe Rhea has really restarted the chick flick genre. The film stands for a lot more than women just wanting pleasure. It has various themes. A lot of things that we don’t usually talk about openly but cinema eases things out for us.”   

Kapila agrees, “While this movie addresses the problems of an orgasm, it is a larger commentary of the position of women's needs in this society. Where do we place them in the grand scheme of things? Do we care about them? This topic should be as normalised as anything.”    

Pednekar adds, “We like it as much as they like it, let’s just be clear about that.”

How they deal with trolls  

When you’re living your life in the public eye, trolls just come with the job description. So, when Kapila was asked how she takes trolls in her stride, especially after all that was said about her personal life, and doesn’t let them get her down she said, “I allot a certain time during the day to cry and feel bad about it. I give it exactly half an hour and then I move on with my life. I was honestly bullied into sharing my personal news. But I am glad I shared it on my terms.” She added, “You have to put blinders on. I always advise crying. I don’t advocate fake positivity. It’s okay to feel bad, it’s okay to take that little time off, and then move on.”  

On the other hand, Gill said she prefers the silent approach and believes it is the best answer. She said, “I read the comments. People are shocked about why Shenaaz is wearing short clothes. I think people need to change their perception. I would say come, sit with me, and you will become my fan. I do read negative comments on Twitter and it motivates me. I do feel bad, but I know that if people are talking about me, I must be doing something right. I take them positively and move ahead." 

Female friendships 

For too long, women have always been pitted against each other. It’s always assumed that women working together can only end in catfights and clashes of insecurities. However, the cast of Thank You For Coming is here to put an end to that stereotype. When asked about this at the India Today Conclave, Bedi said, “I think from the first day I walked on set to this day, the women who are a part of this movie were each other’s driving forces. There was no competition and no insecurities. Bhumi set the sisterhood vibe, which I think has carried us. Everyone’s energy is what keeps us going. Working with these girls was the best part of this film.”