If not in films, I’d have been a criminal lawyer, says Yami Gautam

Yami Gautam has been associated with very different films — be it Vicky Donor in 2012, or Kaabil, that is slated to release this year, where she plays a visually impaired character.

After working in television and commercials over the years, in 2017, Yami will be seen working with the likes of Rakesh Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan. Yami, however, gives away a tiny secret: “If not in films, I would have been a criminal lawyer,” she says.

“I did very little work on television, though I started my career there. With due respect to the medium, I was not happy with whatever I was doing then. I sat with my family one day, and decided to take a break. It was after a month or so, that I began doing commercials actively. I would go on an audition spree, holding placards, like it is shown in films. I did not belong to the modelling world, nor had I ever walked the ramp. But then I just took the decision. Somehow, I knew that with all the right lessons taught by my parents, I had the guts to say, ‘no’,” Yami explains.

She talks about her simple upbringing, as she continues, “My mother is very religious but not staunch. I don’t know whether I am pious or not, but yes, the religious belief, that my mom has passed onto me, stays. Not a single day goes by when I don’t speak with them. Not many know that I have finished my graduation in B.A., though through a correspondence course; I missed college. However, I wanted to study law. I did begin with my LLB, but then could not become a specialised lawyer, as I had turned to films by then.”

Elaborating on her interests and passions, Yami says, “I have been passionate about dance since my childhood — I started learning Bharatanatyam during my preparation years, but could not complete it. But now, since I was to dance with an exuberant dancer like Hrithik, I must confess I wanted to come up to his level. For this, I took up dancing lessons with choreographer Ahmed Khan, and then would do double shifts at home with choreographer Dimple Ganguly. I had to put in quite a lot of effort in order to be able to match up to Hrithik's dancing steps.”

Coming to her film Kaabil, an excited Yami gushes, “When people ask me about my reason to sign Kaabil, I say there are multiple reasons. Besides the story, I had the opportunity to work with the veteran film maker Rakesh Roshan, and Hrithik was to play the male lead, and above all, Sanjay Gupta was directing the film. What more can I ask for?”

Moving on to Rakesh and Hrithik, she affirms, “I found Rakeshji very honest; he is straight forward as well as very humble. Hrithik is a perfectionist on an altogether different level. He works very hard and at the same time is very simple. You can goof around with him. He is hot, yet cool.”

“I am in a very happy space as 2017 seems to be bringing loads of happiness to me professionally,” she continues, “The thought of working with Amitabh Bachchan (Sarkar) makes me very happy. With this role, my image of girl-next-door will be broken. Yes, it’s good to break off from monotonous images,” she concludes.