Yami Gautam on sustaining in films: End of the day it’s out of sight, out of mind

Her next film Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga - alongside Sharad Kelkar and Sunny Kaushal - will be released on Netflix on March 24

Yami Gautam

Last seen in the ZEE5 thriller film Lost - alongside Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpiee - Yami Gautam feels that it’s a bigger challenge to sustain in the industry than achieving success through films. Although she began her acting career with a clear idea about the kind of roles she would want to play, the actress feels that the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ concept eventually deflected her towards making conventional choices.

Yami made her debut in 2012 with Vicky Donor followed by movies like Badlapur and Kaabil. She was later seen in some stereotypical roles. However, things changed for good after the release of Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bala in 2019. “For me, the awareness was always there right from my first film. When I look back 10 years ago, I auditioned for a film like Vicky Donor, which can sound so different from what it actually was… Even then, I was clear about the kind of films I wanted to associate with. But your real journey starts with your second film. It is not about getting success with a particular film. It is about what follows after that and how you sustain that. I think that is a bigger challenge,” Yami said during an interview with PTI recently.

Looking back, the 34-year-old actress said there were certain decisions she took as she wanted to be seen. “At the end of the day it is like, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ so you have to do something. If a certain kind of film is coming, you do it. One is like, ‘Okay, let’s do it’. But there’s no fun in it,” she added.

Also read: Exclusive! Yami Gautam: Not every film is made for everyone and 'Lost' has found its audience

She has evolved into a more careful actress now and only considers a project on the basis of the script. “I read a script very carefully and make my notes, even for the films that I don’t do. I share it with the director as I feel for the writers. They spend so much time writing, so you owe that respect to them,” Yami elaborated.

According to the actress, her failures have taught her that there are no ‘shortcuts’. “Everyone has to go through ups and downs. There is a learning curve that we all have to go through the hard way. Hard way is the best way, there are no shortcuts to anything,” she added.

Over the years, Yami believes she has also realised that being part of something which doesn’t have her heart is the ‘worst’ feeling. “There is a time when you become fearless and feel that rather than doing this it is okay to sit at home and wait… Because I have done that in the past and it is the worst feeling. You are getting up uninspired and every moment is heavy… So now, I look at things that I believe in,” the actress said, adding she hasn’t signed any new project as of now and is waiting for the release of her next film Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. The fast-paced heist thriller will be released on Netflix. Directed by Ajay Singh, Yami will be seen alongside Sharad Kelkar and Sunny Kaushal in the Maddock Films project.

Yami said she is grateful to producers Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan for offering her yet another interesting role after the widely acclaimed movie Bala. “Amar has given me one of the most important films of my life, Bala. I can’t thank him, writer Niren [Bhatt] and Dinu [Vijan] for literally resurrecting my career enough. When people didn’t have expectations from me… That time, they gave me such an important role and this time also they did not offer me something just like that,” she added.

Releasing on Netflix on March 24, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga is the story of an air hostess (Yami) and her businessman beau (Sunny), who are on a mission to steal diamonds to free themselves from the clutches of a loan shark. However, the heist goes horribly wrong when the very plane carrying the diamonds is caught up in a hostage situation.

Yami said her character of an air hostess, named Neha, allowed her to grow as a performer. “This film is an opportunity that is interesting, challenging, entertaining, engaging and allows me to nurture myself as an actor,” the actress summed up.

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