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Yami Gautam opens up about her reticent childhood and the lucky break that set her on her way toward the City of Dreams

-  ANAND SINGH

"I'm a private guy, you know nothing about my business, and if I had my fifteen minutes, I must've missed it" is the riff that reminds me the most when talking to Yami Gautam. Having been in the business as long as she has 10 years to her breakaway feature film, Vicky Donor Gautam has managed to keep her life and its commanding philosophies remarkably private. "It's better if they know me as my character. I'd like to believe my work is interesting enough to be the centre of whatever attention I get," she says.

While Gautam admits that keeping her true persona somewhat veiled has come at the cost of being overlooked for roles at times, it has never discouraged her from living life the way she wants to. "I remember when I got the role of TikTok star Pari Mishra in Bala, a bunch of people were very sceptical about it. They said they didn't think I was the kind of person who could pull off a high-wire comedic role. I might not be that person, but I'm still a professional actor. So, I don't think people should get roles based on how they are in person or on talk shows. It's an actor's job to transform; trust them with it."

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