Cover Story: Yami Gautam Dhar on What it Means to be an Actor in these Changing Times 

Ten years after Vicky Donor, Yami Gautam Dhar has unquestionably developed into an industry generalist, earning accolades for multiple films and roles. Her successful run in the thriller Badlapur (2015) through to critically appraised megabuck films like the revenge drama Kaabil (2017), the action war film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), the satirical comedy Bala (2019) or the more recent smash, the suspense thriller A Thursday (2022), has cemented her status as a heavyweight in the industry and a force to be reckoned with. She is, however, something of an outlier in the business, foregoing the trappings of success, when necessary, in order to make progress. 

I encountered the actress for the first time in the Indian television series, Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam, streaming on the Colors TV channel back in 2009. And I was like, “Okay, she has a pretty face and acts reasonably well.” Plus, her chemistry with the male lead, Gaurav Khanna, looked fairly good to me. At that time, did I fathom that the actress would be who she’s evolved to become? I didn’t. But watching Vicky Donor, Gautam Dhar’s embodiment of Ashima Roy, a Bengali bank employee who becomes the lover-turned-wife of the titular sperm donor Vicky Arora (Ayushmann Khurrana), made an indelible mark. The film banked on its rich interpersonal stance, winning widespread acclaim from all corners, and the ensemble cast drew even more adulation for their stellar performances. Today, when I am writing this piece, I realize Gautam Dhar’s selection of a script and a role (which aren’t run of the mill) for her Bollywood debut best bits how for her, everything began with a choice and choosing while being authentic continues to be her work language. 

As a corollary, she unarguably has a repertoire to boast of. What piques my curiosity, though, is how the diva feels about her trajectory at this point. “It’s been unconventional, to say the least, right from my very first film – I had the opportunity of a typical commercial launch, but I took up a Vicky Donor and that taught me to listen to my instincts and be fearless in my choices,” replies the prima donna, asserting that she feels a deep sense of gratitude and contentment with her journey thus far, while also acknowledging that she has a long way to go and many more challenges to take on. “For me, it’s an amoebic circle because I still feel the same kind of excitement with every project I take on.” 

Born in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur and raised in Chandigarh, Gautam Dhar moved to Mumbai at the age of 20 to pursue a career in cinema. After a two-year stint in television, she landed her debut lead role in the Kannada film Ullasa Utsaha (2009), followed by Vicky Donor three years later. The film paved the way for a lucrative career, and the rest, as they say, is history. Along the way, the 33-year-old has co-starred with industry titans, the movers and shakers of Bollywood representing a specific kind of charisma, whether as a damsel in distress, a blind working woman, a feisty undercover raw agent, or a diabolical nursery-school teacher. 

A proverbial star that she is, she now graces a plethora of events. But isn’t it unnerving to consider the consequences of being in the public eye? “As a person, I was extremely reserved and shy. I wasn’t very comfortable with being the center of attention. Being an actor and a public figure was something I had to learn to be comfortable with.” So, does having a lot of projects going on while also leading a very public life impact how well you perform? “Acting to me is a profession just like any other, but being in the public eye is inevitable in this situation.” Gautam Dhar elaborates that she has made her peace with it and doesn’t let it affect her focus or performance in any way. “I’m enjoying a great phase in my career and am giving it my best shot,” she adds.  

Hers is a tale following a new girl in the city navigating her way from a small hamlet to the country’s film capital, gradually transitioning into a ‘heroine.’ That reads like a rosy success story. However, the star, in my judgment, is a far cry from the archetypal actress, never too inclined to play unaffecting roles come what may. It’s something that exemplifies a precedent she has created of making choices when it comes to selecting her onscreen characters. This distinct trait might have expedited her evolution. I’m wondering what she thinks about how the industry perceives her in light of this. Every performer, every thespian, in my opinion, looks forward to being considered a certain way. Do you think Bollywood sees you the way you want to be seen? “At the time I made my debut, I wasn’t perceived as a typical heroine because I didn’t take on that kind of work. I didn’t want to be glammed up in a non-impactful role because that didn’t excite me as an actor.” 

Additionally, the artist expresses her belief that her reputation as a performer in addition to her preference for compelling content has remained consistent over the years. “Considering the huge shift we’ve seen in cinema overall, where content is king and strong performances are getting their due credit,” she theorizes, “it will hopefully be appreciated.” Well, I’m certain that has happened for her, thanks to a slew of subsequent endeavors, particularly her eclectic portrayal as Naina Jaiswal in A Thursday. The narrative is centered on Naina, a schoolteacher who kidnaps 16 playschool kids and shocks the cops, governing bodies and law enforcement agencies with her incomprehensible demands, which reverberate across the country and rattle everyone. Gautam Dhar as Naina proved her mettle by capturing the character’s emotional honesty with prowess. 

That may be attributed to Naina’s plight, which struck a chord. Consequently, she feels a deeper bond with that character than she had with those in prior films. Her sentiments on this occur to me loud and clear in what she observes next: “My character in A Thursday is something that I have a strong connection with, not because I identify with [Naina] on a personal level, but because I had to give a lot of myself to it.” Indeed, the film is a poignant tale about a victim suing the system in an attempt to wreak vengeance after years of injustice and trauma. The rendering of events is intense, stirring, and leaves you in awe. And, no doubt, the actress seamlessly glides into the skin of Naina, breathing life into her. I believe that replicating the atrocities the character encounters in the movie must have had a lasting impression on her while she was rehearsing for the role. For, in her words: “I’m the polar opposite of Naina, but when you put in that kind of effort, mentally and emotionally, it’s a memory and experience that really sticks with you.” 

Gautam Dhar’s artistic enthusiasm engulfs her thus, as does the desire to create a body of work that fulfills her creative appetite. So, despite a few unsuccessful features, she has continually experimented with her acting projects, trying to paint a diverse range of characters. Among her other accomplishments, she received rave reviews in Uri: The Surgical Strike for essaying the role of Pallavi Sharma, a nurse-turned-intelligence expert, in addition to being lauded for her portraying Pari Mishra, a spunky TikToker and part-time model from Lucknow – who feels betrayed and leaves her husband after discovering his baldness – in the movie Bala. Playing this specific role added another feather to her cap, propelling her to a spot on Rediff‘s list of the Best Bollywood Actresses in 2019. “If you ask me now,” she states, “I’d say I’m always on the lookout for good characters and good scripts. I’m looking to play a substantial part in a film irrespective of the genre.” 

Reading through her responses in this email interview between us, I understand that the artist is committed to recognizing the value of developing and reinventing herself – attempting to break what she has already done and striving to grow while seizing every opportunity to grasp something new. But what about a character or a script truly excites you? “I want to do all kinds of films as long as it’s a role that excites me and gives me something to bite into. I also don’t plan things. I like being surprised,” she responds. It’s worth noting here how consistently the actor has been able to externalize a character’s innermost state in all of its distinctiveness while remaining steadfastly true to her unique individuality – her grace and strength. “I know what I’m doing now, but I approach everything with a blank slate and go with my instinct.” 

At present, the Bollywood heroine seems quite in control of her ambitions. She has made great strides so far. Her onscreen collaborations have given her career an almost dream-like motivation: After having won the Zee Cine Awards for Best Female Debut (together with Ileana D’Cruz for Barfi!) in Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, costarring Ayushmann Khurrana, Annu Kapoor, and Dolly Ahluwalia, she featured with Ali Zafar, Anupam Kher, and Kirron Kher in Eeshwar Nivas’s rom-com Total Siyappa (2014) and Prabhu Deva’s action-thriller Action Jackson, with Ajay Devgan and Sonakshi Sinha, that same year. In 2015, Gautam Dhar starred in Sriram Raghavan’s action film Badlapur, opposite Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and played Pulkit Samrat’s love interest in romance-drama movies like Sanam Re by Divya Khosla Kumar and Junooniyat by Vivek Agnihotri in 2016. Subsequently, she collaborated with Hrithik Roshan on Sanjay Gupta’s revengeful romantic thriller, Kaabil, and did a cameo in Ram Gopal Varma’s political thriller Sarkar 3 (2017) alongside industry veterans such as Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff and Manoj Bajpayee. In Shree Narayan Singh’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018), the star played a lawyer, teaming up with Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Divyendu Sharma. 

Gautam Dhar’s biggest break came in 2019 when she shared screen time with Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina and Kirti Kulhari in Uri: The Surgical Strike. As mentioned earlier, Uri represented a significant milestone in her life, and as her career got bigger and more demanding, the actress started dabbling with her parts more and more. She played Ginny in the film Ginny Weds Sunny (2020), opposite Vikrant Massey, helmed by debutant director Puneet Khanna, after her successful appearance in Bala. The next year, she played Maya in Pavan Kripalani’s horror comedy Bhoot Police, alongside Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. This year, Gautam Dhar’s maiden release was Behzad Khambata’s A Thursday, with Neha Dhupia and Atul Kulkarni, and Tushar Jalota’s social satire Dasvi, with Abhishek Bachchan and Nimrat Kaur. 

With a lot done and loads more to be done, what are the things she now knows that she wishes she had known before? “I’d say to not overthink and move forward. As an actor, it’s very easy to get caught up in the failure of a film or a bad review and start questioning everything. It’s a very human reaction,” notes the film star, displaying her proclivity to embrace apprehension, which encourages her to strive harder in emoting diverse roles and to view failures as stepping stones to success. While her eyes are always set on the stars, she remains true to herself and firmly grounded. “It’s important to step back, sometimes disconnect, and just move ahead in life and not let certain situations or emotions hold you back. Always, think bigger and look at the bigger picture, and get there at your pace.” This statement hits a nerve. I agree that thoughts are potent. When you dream bigger, you give your thinking greater strength, and when you combine that with good action, you are more likely to achieve your objectives. 

This is Gautam Dhar’s shtick: She may have earned a boatload of accolades and she may be frequenting prestigious events and award ceremonies, but her public image is at variance with the woman inside. She remains a celebrity, while still being a normal family person, who knows where to stop and says that it is her conscious decision to not let work consume her, in a bid to achieve a healthy work-life equilibrium. “Aditya and I respect each other’s timelines. I’m very lucky to have found emotional support and respect from my husband, family, and friends.” When juggling work and her professional life, therefore, the busy-bee maintains a healthy state of mind by listening to herself, being conscious of how she feels, and knowing where to draw the line.  

What are your projects in the pipeline, those that you’re excited about, and which one of your goals are you yet to achieve? “Lost opened at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) and received an incredible response.” The film is a moving tale, a thriller that chronicles a deeper quest – and a pursuit of forgotten values and ethics – directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury in which the actress is seen as a crime reporter. Next up, “There’s Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, OMG 2, and Dhoom Dham, all very different genres and distinct characters,” shares the 33-year-old, unfolding her desire for more challenges and variety in the years to come. It’s not just in her professional life – she strives to experience a full-circle moment by achieving a gamut of other things. “There is so much more I would like to do and so many things I’d like to attempt, both in reel and real life – professionally, I’d like to work with the filmmakers I admire and respect. Personally, I’d like to devote more time to social initiatives that make a difference. I was pursuing my Law Honors before getting into films, and hopefully, I’d like to complete that.” 

So far in this conversation, the artist has come across as a fairly optimistic individual, a go-getter with the right temperament, which has resulted in productive offers. But there is one more thing I’m concerned about. I want to know how she envisions the situation of social media leading to decreasing attention spans as an actor and entertainer. According to a viewpoint expressed in The Queens Journal, social media has monopolized our attention spans through quick and instant enjoyment, impairing our brain’s capacity to concentrate on anything we see as being less intriguing. So, what is your take on the declining attention spans in a world where the amount of content is increasing, tiring out our interest and causing us to switch subjects more often in search of ‘novelty’? 

“I believe the faster we accept this change, the easier it will be for us to move with time. It’s both a blessing and a curse.” Gautam Dhar enumerates, “A newcomer has many more avenues to shine thanks to the digital space, which has a wider reach and many more takers. On the other hand, what’s celebrated today might quickly die down, making way for something new. Innovating and reinventing, and accepting this shift, is the only way to sustain and thrive.”

Photographer: Arjun Mark
Art director: Tanvi Shah
Fashion Editor: Neelangana Vasudeva 
Brand Director: Tulsi Bavishi
Art Assistant: Siddhi Chavan
Makeup Artist: Guia Bianchi
Hairstylist: Sourav Roy 
Hair assistant: Fatema Dohad
Artist PR: Anima Creative Management