Bowling Them Over

For Saiyami Kher, sports and acting are equidistant to her heart. As this cricketerturned-actor gears up for the next phase of her acting career, she tells us why Mirzyachanged her life.

- Mitali Goyal

Her light eyes glistened in the sun as she looked into the camera for the cover shoot. Saiyami Kher can be best described as the girl with a sporting spirit, quite literally. As she changed into one athleisure after another, Saiyami looked super comfortable with every prop, be it a tennis racquet or a boxing glove. Her slender physique can give any model serious jealousy pangs. But, Saiyami seems oblivious to the effect she has on people. She feels, once a sportsperson, always a sportsperson. So, being in the spotlight does not faze her. Her feet are grounded firmly in reality. May be this is the reason she did not grab every script that came to her after Mirzya. As she gets ready for the release of her Marathi film Mouli opposite Riteish Deshmukh, she tells us that she has dabbled in as many as nine different sports. Sweating it out in the court is this beauty’s idea of a perfect day. Excerpts from a freewheeling interview with Saiyami Kher:

We have been told that you played nine different sports.

Yes, that’s true. Being a sportsperson in school, I joined St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai through sports quota. I eventually ended up playing nine different sports for my college: swimming, basketball, handball, volleyball, throw ball, running and table tennis, as well as badminton and cricket. I was in the Maharashtra cricket team. I have also played against Saina Nehwal thrice and was thrashed (laughs)..

So, how did films happen for a professional sportsperson like you?