Living A Dream

She exudes radiance and charm, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Yami Gautam talks to Simran Ahuja about her life philosophy, how she’s evolved as a person, and the causes close to her heart.

- Simran Ahuja

She is all of eight films old in Bollywood, but Yami Gautam is wise beyond her years. With her feet planted firmly on the ground, she neither lets success go to her head nor allows setbacks to drag her down. She may be an outsider in the industry, but when the going gets tough, the actor sure knows how to get going. Gautam started her career as the charming Ashima Roy in Vicky Donor, and more recently impressed everyone with her performance as the visually challenged Supriya Sharma in Kaabil. But just as the audience began to typecast her as the sweet girl-next-door, she surprised everyone with her portrayal of Annu Karkare in Sarkar 3, proving her versatility and mettle yet again as an actor. Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, she is free-spirited and her energy is as uncontained as the mountain breeze. By her own admission, she is a ‘closet actor’ and one conversation with her is enough to tell you that she rarely beats around the bush. In this interview, she looks back upon her childhood days and gives us a glimpse of what the future may have in store for her. Edited excerpts:

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I always wanted to get into films. I was one of those closet actors or dancers. But I also was quite studious and a bookworm. I used to watch Farooq Shaikh’s show