From Vicky Donor to now a National Award-winning actress, Yami Gautam has come a long way in Bollywood. However, it was not a smooth ride all along. Yami had to go through her fair share of downs before eventually reaching a career high. In fact, there was once a time when Yami had made up her mind about leaving Bollywood and going back to her hometown in Himachal Pradesh. In a recent interview, the Article 370 star shared how things changed overnight for her after she had decided to quit films.
Yami Gautam Talks About The Lowest Phase Of Her Career
While speaking to Filmfare, recalled that despite a successful debut with Vicky Donor, the journey ahead did not get any easier for her. She was told that its is happening because she did not have a ‘conventional’ launch. Yami said, “When Vicky Donor worked, I genuinely believed people would simply see me as an actor. Instead, I kept hearing that mine wasn’t a ‘conventional launch’. I remember thinking, “What does that even mean?” Apparently I hadn’t been introduced as the typical heroine.”
Yami further admitted that after hearing other people’s perception of her, she accepted roles she did not ‘truly want’ just in the hope that someone saw her potential.
There also came a time when Yami was ready to leave behind her acting career and start a fresh life in Himachal Pradesh. But then came Uri and Bala, two movies that changed the game for her and brought her back into the spotlight.
Yami recounted, “Just before Uri and Bala, I had made peace with leaving the industry altogether. I thought I’d return to Himachal. We have farmland there. I imagined beginning a completely different life. My parents were incredibly supportive. They simply said, ‘Come home’.”
Yami Gautam In Article 370
But then, when she least expected it, life changed ‘almost overnight’ when Uri and Bala turned out to be massive box office successes. And that is when she learnt the biggest lesson of her career. “Fear is your greatest enemy. The day I stopped saying yes because I was afraid of becoming ‘out of sight, out of mind’, I became free. I’d rather walk away than do work I don’t believe in. That decision transformed everything,” she said.
Over the last few years, Yami has only grown in stature, delivering a solo box office success with Article 370 and a career-defining performance in Haq. She is now one of the highest-regarded female stars in the country.