I believe no skin colour guarantees success: Yami Gautam

Yami Gautam, Actor

Yami Gautam | PTI Yami Gautam | PTI

In the recently-released Bala, Yami Gautam plays a TikTok star from Lucknow who is obsessed with her looks. The role won her many plaudits. Here, she talks about her character, endorsing a fairness cream and being an outsider in the film industry.

Q/ What was it about your character in Bala that got you interested?

A/ I really have not come across a female character like that—someone who is funny and entertaining, but not slapstick or annoying. She is real, [although] she lives in her own bubble. The character gets her layering not just from her [obsession with] looks or the other fun parts but also from the [narrative] arc—how it begins and ends. People have seen me in some intense, sensitive and strong roles, in films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Vicky Donor and Kaabil, but Bala gave me a funny role. I was looking for that versatility and range.

Q/ Many people brought up the fact that you endorse a fairness cream despite the film addressing prejudice against dark people.

A/ It was not something I had not anticipated. But what made me happy was the overall sentiment about the film—that it is accepted and people are loving my character. I get advertisements based on the films that I do. I got this endorsement after [the success of] Vicky Donor. As far as my views are concerned, I believe no skin colour guarantees success or is a prerequisite for happiness in life.

Q/ How do you stay balanced in this industry when you do not come from a film background?

A/ Maybe the fact that you do not come from a film background [helps], or that you always have an outsider’s perspective. Since my growing-up years, I have always been someone with a balanced perspective. But I believe in having a positive aura around me. And you realise that, living in a world that can drive you crazy and emotionally exhaust you, you have to have people around you to [help you] keep your sanity. For me, that is my family and close friends whom I absolutely trust.

Q/Tell us about your next film, Ginny Weds Sunny, with Vikrant Massey.

A/ I started work on it right after shooting for Bala. I would not call it a rom-com, maybe a rom-com-meets-slice-of-life. It is a feel-good love story, a new-age take on romance. I play a Delhi girl whose mother is a matchmaker, but cannot find a groom for her daughter.

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