Yami Gautam was a face of a leading fairness cream brand and did a lot of modelling in initial years. Though she was keen on becoming an IAS officer, she ended up doing television shows like #ChandKePaarChalo, #YehPyaarNaHogaKam etc. Later in 2012 Yami was selected to play lead opposite #AyushmannKhurrana in #VickyDonor, which fetched her #ZeeCineAward for #BestFemaleDebut. Incidentally the film was produced by #JohnAbraham. Her role in it was hugely appreciated and Yami started getting good offers. Yami did #Badlapur, headlined by #VarunDhawan and directed by #SriramRaghavan. Her joy was touching the sky when she was cast opposite #HrithikRoshan in #Kaabil. Hrithik and Yami’s performances were well received. #VickyKaushal starrer and #AdityaDhar directorial #UriTheSurgicalStrike was a huge hit and despite limited screen space her performance was noticed and appreciated. In #Bala too her comic timing won her accolades. The film Uri: The Surgical Strike is extremely important for Yami because a couple of years back, in the pandemic era, she got married to it’s director Aditya Dhar.
#YamiGautamDhar has been progressing professionally and in recent times quite a few of her films were released on OTT and were declared hits. A Thursday, Lost, Dasvi, which had Abhishek Bachchan and Nimrat Kaur with her, were released digitally and were well appreciated. Her last OTT release was Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. It was declared a superhit and to celebrate the success Yami met a select few journos for a tete-a-tete. Our Sr Editor Keerti Kadam interacted with Yami Gautam Dhar and she was game for every question. Excerpts…
You have been ruling OTT now. In fact you are the new OTT Queen. Do you find any difference between a theatrical release an OTT release?
I had my share of some good theatrical releases also, starting my first film Vicky Donor. I remember Badlapur, Kaabil, Uri even Bala they were runaway hits. Theatrical release has it’s own perks, so I don’t think any other medium will give that kind of cinematic experience that a theatre gives, which is how I feel films are designed to be watched. It’s a dark hall. The director takes you to his own world, his vision and you forget about everything. I still remember back in the 90’s, the smell of fresh popcorn, fresh samosas, pastries laid out for that exact amount of people who came to watch the film at that time. So watching a film on a big curtain gave a totally different vibe. But there is a pre-pandemic and a post pandemic era and I am sure every actor must be saying the same thing and it’s actually very true. We adapt with time. You have to go with the flow and who thought that a platform named OTT will emerge and takeover, suddenly change the demography of experiencing cinema and the time where it was very important especially for producers and a lot of people in terms of finance, even to the audience to entertain themselves.
You see, whatever the medium, my acting won’t change, my performance, my sincerity will remain intact when it comes to films or OTT films. I will never discriminate and think that oh wait this film is made for OTT and this film is made for theatre, I will never do that and will never like to hear it from my director as well. Our job is to give you the best film according to our sensibility and our vision, budgets and everything possible. Where it lands up is the producers prerogative, because it’s their money. They want to feel safe especially for a mid-budget film. A big budget film is still very different but for mid budget films, right now to have that courage, the confidence more than the courage and to expect that yes I think I can recover it or how much I will recover? The math for a mid-budget film is very different. Although you never know, for example URI, that was a miracle and a huge surprise. It’s difficult in today’s times though but I see it as a period of correction, as a period to push the right people who are the writers, creative people and the directors to push themselves and to take it as a challenge that if you are making a good film or a show, the audience should not skip it, they should be engaged in it, be it an OTT or a film in a theatre. They don’t skip that film.
Your last release ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’ was a thriller with various ingredients like romance, action, suspense etc. Share your views on that.
We had a gala time shooting ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’. The story was full of twists and turns. Every film comes with it’s own set of challenges and that’s the thrill part of it. We long for these, we seek these challenges. When you read a script, is it exciting for me as an actor and is it exciting for me as an audience? Would I watch this film? So that’s what is always running in my mind, when I am reading something, and I thought Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga was also one of those films. When I look back at the palate of films I have done especially in the recent past, it’s very different. It was your popcorn-popping entertaining and engaging thriller film. I must enjoy a film, even the one I am in. The day I don’t get to enjoy my film is the day, I myself will say that I’m sorry it didn’t work for me. Maybe it works for the audience. It has happened with some past films of mine, but I really enjoyed.
Will you name the films which didn’t work for you?
(Smiles) Don’t put me in a spot. See, if I mention names, it wouldn’t be fair to other people who are associated with that film. Besides that there are still a lot of people associated with the film who may not agree with my views. And I have to give them that respect because they gave me work at that time. Also when a film is made, a lot of hard work goes behind it. No one wants to make a flop film. Sometimes things don’t pan out as it was imagined. And when a film doesn’t do well it’s not the end of the road. See, this industry and for that matter everybody in life, thrives on hope.
Do you think your recent successes like Dasvi, Lost, A Thursday and Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga have widened your reach?
As an actor definitely yes. As I say it’s quite challenging to find your audience and the kind of shift I see in the audiences or whatever the way I read about myself I take it quite seriously. A lot of people feel, if it’s Yami’s film or if Yami is a part of the film, it must be something different, so let’s watch it. I respect my audience a lot and value their last verdict the most, that’s the most rewarding thing for me. As far as theatrical release is concerned that balance is also important. I am doing my job as an actor. I am giving you at least in my version or whatever you feel to say, a good performance or a decent performance.
OTT has widened the reach of audiences because in theatres you need a bigger success like URI for which 1.5 or 2 crore people should watch it, but on OTT it’s possible within a week, you don’t need 200 or 300 crore at the box office for that. So how can I do that? But yeah to be cast in a certain kind of film or with a certain director or with a certain budget film you need to be seen. I have done that in the past. So I feel that people like myself nothing will be the perfect point. There will always be something that we’ll have to keep proving ourselves one film after the other. So I have stopped thinking like that. About my job, what is in my control? The kind of scripts that I am associating with and if I am excited to be in a film. My director needs to equally be excited to work with me and that’s it. And as you said “A good film will find it’s way to the audience”.
You’ve been doing female centric roles recently. Are you consciously doing that?
You know very soon I think this term will also get away that “Female centric” films which I understand why it was coined. Because earlier we didn’t have many of these kinds of films. More than female centric film I consider them as a character driven film. I will never ask you to watch a film of mine which has me leading it because it’s a female oriented film or it talks about a social message. While that will be important but at the end of the day you are investing your time and money in that film, it needs to be a good script. It needs to be a film first.
I was leading a film like A Thursday. I see it with a lot of credibility and with the same emotion I think the audience embraces that film. I will never forget the kind of messages and calls I started getting after the press show. Personally I have never got that kind of response because we would wait for the film to be released then everyone expresses because of the embargo but they said we are not giving the review right now but we are telling you in person that you should have been a part of this press screening, everyone was speechless in the end and that’s my revert.
When you shoot movies back-to-back like URI or A Thursday, do you somewhere miss the characters that you played in Kaabil or Badlapur where you played the role of a sweet, innocent girl?
No, I don’t view my characters like that, I mean I have looked back at these films. No, I don’t miss that either. And I don’t endorse ‘I want to have the power in my hand’ type of roles. My job is to make sure that you don’t associate me in any bracket. Like you were saying you expected more from me and I assure you that when we meet for the next interview for the next film, you will have something different to see. I consider them as I said just for the effect of coming across as a strong person I will never do a film, it has to have some substance in it. And I still look back at Kaabil as a performance oriented role and that film I remember when it was released most of the people, even in the industry they came out saying or the way it was written. Some said ‘it was a small role’, but I didn’t consider it like that. I thought it was a very performance-oriented role and I’m very happy to have gotten that opportunity to play it and that’s how I look back at it same with my movie “A Thursday”.
The whole idea is to keep pushing myself and to keep doing something novel. Before every such film I have gotten nervous, When I started prepping for Bala, as much as a fun character it was, it made me nervous. Not the “will I be able to do” nervous. I know I can do it but how will I do it? So I have to sit and start preparing that’s what I think of a character and once it’s done, it’s all over you, then I am done, I have to move on. I don’t hold on to any character. I don’t want to hold onto any image that people liked me in a certain way, No! They liked that film, they liked that character I don’t think they want me to do more such films. Good films, and good films can be anything. It’s ambiguous, my favourite word.
About actors, there are lot of aspirations, you know when people see you on screen, you know they want to relate themselves with the character or they see a part of themselves in actors and now actors are available everywhere because on social media even if you are not posting something you are being clicked/papped with that and now with the increase in OTT, How do you keep yourself aspirational, with all the chaos around?
That is so correct and I think that is one of the reasons which also might not be working in favour of the actors. I personally think it might not be in favour of us for a very long time. There was an aspirational quality or aspect attached to it when you used to watch films or actors because of inaccessibility. You would just know them by their characters or what they were on screen. Now because you are being seen everywhere, being clicked everywhere, that charm of watching, is lesser. You know about me the easier for me it is to convince you about the character.
I don’t call anyone to click me. If they happen to be there that’s great. Or if it’s a part of a professional engagement I do, but beyond a point, no. I like to draw that line and for my own sanctity more than anything else my sanity. I think that’s very important to mark that line, that’s my job and this is where the job ends, I have my personal life. And to answer your question, the best conversation to have with your audience is through films. I think I have the ability to do my job there but the whole façade of creating a perception about yourself. How many fans you have? Are you getting mobbed? You have to get mobbed, you have to get clicked while getting mobbed, you have to trend on social media, you have to be seen there, I think there are just more and more distractions, that is how I see it. I don’t judge anyone who does it but when everyone starts doing it that’s a problem or someone has to write good things about me, do I have to pay that person? I don’t believe in that because if I have done a good job you will write about it and if you don’t feel, you won’t write. But I can make you aware of my film. We need that marketing that a film is releasing. I can’t tell you that you have to write this. I am stepping the line. So it’s a longer route but I feel it’s the correct one.
