Exclusive! Yami Gautam on her decade long journey in Bollywood: Life comes full circle, but it's amoebic

It's been a decade since Shoojit Sircar's blockbuster Vicky Donor hit the big screens. The movie marked the film debut of not one but two actors—Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam Dhar. Both the actors created a storm after making a mark on the television screen. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Yami described her decade-long journey in the movies. 

The actor told us, "I think life comes full circle. People say that maybe it is true. But here, that circle is very amoebic, I'd say. It's an amoebic circle. The reason why I am saying this is because I still feel the excitement that I had for my first film, which I still remember was out there in theatres. It's back. That's a mix of being a little nervous and being excited. When you're happily promoting or talking about something that you're happy being a part of, that is what Vicky Donor was for me. We didn't know it was going to be so big. We just knew that it was a film that had its heart in the right place and talked about a subject that can be easily frowned upon. But what it did, and I am not just referring to the box office, but critically, just about anyone who watched it. The fact that you remember it with a smile, that you feel happy when you watch it, that comes with the right intention."

Yami shared that this time has come back in her career after a long time. She said, "After a long time, I feel this time has come back for me, especially in 2019. This is when the gears are shifted. I know what I am chasing, I just need to be true to myself and true to what kind of film I want to do. I started my career, not knowing what it was going to be. I just wanted to be a part of a good film. I got a very good part and got to work with a very good director. That's the only thing I knew. So when you start overthinking, the first one also comes with its own challenges, all the good things and all the great challenging things also. But the whole idea is not to look back, but to move on in life. What has happened to your things, your struggles? Of course, everybody goes through it. But the point is that you need to grow in life, you need to think bigger in life, always see the bigger picture in life. Slowly and steadily, it's okay, move there."

Speaking about how she wishes her films to be received by the audience, the Uri actor stated, "Last year was not slow and steady, it was a big one. So, it feels good. As my films roll out for release, we will get to know whether that whole effort and all the hard work was worth it. I'd say it was. The rest is all up to you to decide."

Expressing her gratitude, Yami went on to say, "But I will be thankful to my audience for sticking by me. Even if they had to say, 'we want to see you in more films.' There is a certain section of journalists who have been extremely supportive that, 'Yami, we always rooted for you, we knew you have it in you. You should do more work. ' So now I can say I'll do it and I hope to engage you and entertain you with good performances and good stories."

Yami has several films in her kitty, and currently, she is riding high on the success of her two films, A Thursday and Dasvi. When asked how she zeroes down her projects, the actor gave an interesting reply.

She said, "Five years back, my answer would have been different. That is why it was a very different trajectory at that time. I'd say yes. This question was used on me back then, and I had a very different answer. And that answer was very incomplete. I don't think I could speak the truth at that time. I don't think I was confident enough to lay myself bare. With those words, I don't know why films are not being offered to me. I didn't know why good films were not being offered to me; I didn't know the answer to that. I used to feel awkward during interviews. I remember there was a time because, you know, what they wanted to ask, what they wanted to compare, your contemporaries are doing so much work. Why don't you have so much work? They'd feel that 'Oh, she's very choosy.' But for that, you have to have things to choose from, which I couldn't say at that time."

Yami concluded by talking about her wishlist, "But now things are so different. Not just for me, but so for many. Things are so different for those who want to make their debut now. What I'm looking for essentially now, five years later, if I have to give you an answer, that answer will be more or less the same. I'm looking for some characters. I'm looking for roles. I'm looking for good scripts, and I'm looking to play a substantial part in every film that I do, be it any genre. I don't want to be fearful of doing a film where I know maybe it's not a very distinct part, but it's a very substantial part and somewhere I feel I want to be a part of it. I shouldn't fear that. At the same time, I should not fear headlining a film if I have to, if I feel the story needs to be told. There's a risk, and I want to take that risk because it's worth it. I love the story and not just for the sake of being, for lack of a better word, a female actor-led film. I want to do everything, every genre. My mind is blank right now. I know what I'm doing next. But I'm not thinking about anything that's going to be after that, because I want to be surprised. I want to get as surprised as an audience would want to get and go by my instinct. But your script is the thing that should get you excited."