Exclusive: Yami Gautam Dhar Opens Up About Shooting ‘A Thursday’, Industry Beauty Standards And Her Relationship With Hubby Aditya Dhar
TBH, I’m in love with Yami Gautam’s film A Thursday. It’s a flawed hostage drama that stays with you even after you’ve finished watching it. It takes you through all kinds of highs and lows and makes you feel the emotional turmoil of Naina Jaiswal played by Yami Gautam and I must say, her acting in this film is top-notch. Directed by Behzad Khambata and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, this thriller drama also stars Neha Dhupia, Karanvir Sharma, Dimple Kapadia and Atul Kulkarni. The film recently released on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.
Yami Gautam plays the role of a playschool teacher, a victim of the system, who takes 16 of her students hostage in order to get justice. NGL, I just couldn’t get over the actress’ amazing acting and it got me thinking about the emotional turmoil and chaos that she had to go through to portray the role of the teacher who has to switch between emotions. That could not have been easy and kudos to Yami for being able to do it so flawlessly. So, in order to find out more about the ups and downs of shooting A Thursday, I sat down for an exclusive chat with Yami Gautam. Without further ado, let’s find out what she had to say.
Q. HOW HAS THE REACTION BEEN TO YOUR FILM?
Yami Gautam: I would say that it’s been nothing less than a culmination, I feel, of the years of hard work, patience and resilience, all coming together. We’re getting calls from industry veterans, directors and messages from people who we haven’t heard in years saying “we didn’t know this is the Yami that was there”. And I say you don’t necessarily have to get back to your backstory. It’s fine. You should have gratitude in your heart that it takes this much to finally get A Thursday. It’s been really, really amazing. The response has been very overwhelming and not just about performances and you know. As a team, we’re very thankful. And I’m especially very happy for Behzad Khambata and everyone else. But some of the messages and some of the responses are a little heartbreaking. A Thursday has touched some people in a way that they’ve had to go through something which, you know, they wish they didn’t have to. And that’s very difficult, like what do you say to that so, you listen and that’s it. But I think it’s a very small but strong film with a message from our side to express that what we feel.
View this post on Instagram
Q. What Made You Say Yes To This Film?
Yami Gautam: This story, the subject, the script – I thought it spoke volumes. It is not just because it is a thriller or a good script or because it has great potential to keep you at the edge of your seat. It was also the way Behzaad Khambata saw it and put it all together and how he envisioned it as a psychological drama but most importantly, it was the heart of it. The message that this film is trying to send it much bigger than that and I connected with it as an actor and as a woman. I thought this is a story that must be told and that I will move heaven and Earth to put all my life in Naina, whatever as per my sensibility and whatever as per my discussion with Behzaad and how we envisioned this. And I’m happy, I’m so happy and really proud to say that this is something. It’s a film which was backed by the Producers and by Ronnie. And a big thank you to all the audiences. You know, it’s just been two days but the kind of response that we’ve got. I think it feels like a dream.
View this post on Instagram
Q. What Was It Like To Play The Role Of Naina Jaiswal Who Had These Beautiful Shades Of Grey? Was It Tough To Play The Dark Side?
Yami Gautam: Naina for me, her line of emotions was not straight. the graph was always going up and down. So for me, I had to identify all those places and it was important to make a backstory for her to keep in sync with the audience. The aim was to ensure that the audience should be able to get what I’m trying to portray to them as Naina and still have questions as to who she is and what is going on in her mind. I always feel that it’s always more impactful when you do a thriller or such a character where there’s a certain appearance of theraav along with that madness rather than too much happening. Of course, if there is an action scene, it was very different. It’s always more impactful for me as an audience when I watch someone and I can’t predict what that person is thinking from the inside. And to constantly be in a certain way with the kids and then again to switch back when you’re talking to the cops again to switch back when you feel, “Okay, this is not happening my way but what next? Okay, I have the other two as well.” But from Naina’s perspective and from an actor’s perspective who knows where the story has to end and the graph has to be, I had to be able to picture it Naina and her journey in front of my eyes even before going on the set and that’s exactly what I did. So, yes, a lot of work, a lot of nuances, a lot of depth has gone into it.
View this post on Instagram
Q. What Was It Like To Switch Back To Yourself After Playing Naina During The Shoot? And To Channel The Emotional Turmoil And Everything Included?
Yami Gautam: Channelling those emotions was very difficult, very very difficult. This was one of, I think, the most challenging role for me. And just to imagine that just for that month or whatever, I had to step into her shoes. It was so difficult. And I’m an actor, I have another life after I leave the set but this character stayed with me, it was very heavy deep down. I felt that weight on my body. I felt heavy but then I realized it’s because of that emotional and mental prep that has gone into being this character. It wasn’t easy. And just to imagine this is has been somebody life or something like this has actually happened to someone, to know this character and her story wasn’t easy. But at the end of the day, you know, you are an actor and you have to develop a skill where you balance your emotions and the technique at the same time. So, that also had to be kept in mind. Just a couple of things have to be kept in mind and then you can switch back.
View this post on Instagram
Q. Now That You’ve Played Shades Of Grey With Naina Jaiswal, Would You Be More Open To Going All Black Now?
Yami Gautam: Yes, why not! I mean it really depends on the character also. I don’t know if I will really describe her (Naina) as grey. I’ll just say that she had that mystery. It was that mystery more than anything else. But yeah, I’m an actor and if I’m convinced with the story and convinced with the role then the idea is to go all out for it and not let your personal judgment of any sort stand in the way, be it any character if you decide to take it.
View this post on Instagram
Q. You Had Someone Who Was Pregnant, Neha Dhupia, On The Set. What Was It Like To Work With Her?
Yami Gautam: We shot together in a certain way that we were connected, but yet geographically, we were in very different places as you’ve seen in the film. After having watched the film, I know now that it must not have been easy for her but Neha made it look really easy and added so much to her the strength of the character. When she had signed the film she wasn’t pregnant, and she shot for two days I think and then by the time we started shooting, we were already past the second lockdown. It was the rainy season in Mumbai and Behzaad said – ‘yeah, so what? If you are good to shoot, if you want to then why can’t my cop be pregnant and it’s fine’. And I think that she’s done a very good job in the film. She’s so good. It’s only between Neha and her baby, who knows how they would have felt during that time and it is not easy. It is so easy for us to just ask and question and answer but only an expecting mother knows what it feels like. You know, I’m sure it was not, but she took it up like a great sport and that is, she delivered it too.
View this post on Instagram
Q. Twitter Is Calling A Thursday A Vigilante Thriller. So, What Do You Have To Say About That?
Yami Gautam: They have been calling it a lot of things actually. I think whatever they call, as long as they like it, connect with it, they feel the essence, I’m happy.
View this post on Instagram
Also Read: ‘A Thursday’ Review: Yami Gautam’s Portrayal Of A Kidnapper Will Have You Sitting On The Edge Of Your Seat
Q. Since Aditya Is A Director, Did You Take Inputs From Him To Play Naina Jaiswal?
Yami Gautam: It’s been eight months of marriage now. But in fact, it’s when we had a break for a while and we were in the second lockdown is when I got married and A Thursday was not a kind of film you want to come back to and resume your work with after right after your marriage. But you gotta do what you gotta, right? But with Aditya, we always indulge in healthy discussions. I really look up to him as a director whose opinion really matters to me. I think he’s someone with a great perspective with a great mind, full of ideas. And any time that I felt the need to discuss something and generally also, not just pertaining to work, he was there.
View this post on Instagram
We love watching interviews of certain actors who have been part of some incredible, great films and learning how their experience was and that really open opens up my mind as an actor. So, there is one thing which he tells me constantly – that you also have to start thinking like a director because as an actors job is very single-minded and single direction where you thinking about your character, you thinking about how you want to perform and rightly, I mean that’s my job. But what he means to say is that one should always think about the film and the scene and everything in totality. This is why I am so invested in the whole process of filmmaking. You got a be in love with what you do and that’s only possible if you know, and you’re invested and you know your team you want to know how it’s going to be shot you, you know how it’s going to be, how the background score is going to come and how your editing is happening at everything. You need to be invested, do your job at the end of the day, but at the same time, you should be aware that whatever you are doing. We do this for the audience. They should feel engaged and connected. We are not doing this just for ourselves. All of us want our films to do well and for them to click with the audience. So having these little things in mind open your vision. So, I love discussing with Aditya snd I think, definitely, of course, I feel really evolved as an actor. I would always value his opinion. Of course, we’re both adults. We both mature So, the decision is always our own. Like tomorrow he might ask me what do you feel as an actor but the decision has to be our respective decision but it’s the ideas are that make you grow and nurture your vision.
View this post on Instagram
Also Read: Exclusive: Neha Dhupia On Playing A Pregnant Cop In ‘A Thursday’, Working With Dimple Kapadia, Yami Gautam
Q. Being From The Entertainment Industry, It’s Important For Actresses To Maintain The Illusion Of Perfection But You Not Only Talked About The Beauty Standards But Also Broke This Illusion When You Spoke About Your Skin Problem. So, What Made You Want To Do It?
Yami Gautam: Because I have been wanting to do that for a long time. In today’s time, you’re not just an actor. You understand the nature of your business and you’re associated with brands, with an image and with a thousand other things that people expect out of you. But there was a time, a moment where I was just, it was my shoot. It was me, you know, it was all about me. So, If it’s all about me then it has to be all about me, straight from my heart. And I thought that, yeah, let me just put it out there, you know, because I don’t want to do it.
This is something I’ve grown up with as a teenager and I’m used to it. I’ve had it for a long time which is fine, that’s okay. People were like need to airbrush and we need to do this and that and it used to bother me because this is not, this is beyond me. More importantly, this is a part of me now and it’s such a common condition but at the same time, as common as it is, it doesn’t have a very straight solution or medication or treatment. Maybe there must be something but it hasn’t at least come my way and based on the response I got, I don’t think that there is any commonly known treatment for it. This is something that even boys go through it. But this is where I feel social media as a tool is so instrumental. What it can orchestrate, it can teach us not just teach us, but we feel closer to each other. We feel more Humane towards each other. We feel more real and there’s more empathy and love and more positivity. You know, when everybody connected and said that sorry but I’m so glad you opened up because my boyfriend or my partner or my husband expects me to have flawless skin like the models and actresses but now I can show him that if she can have this condition why can’t I? And at the age of 20-22 years, you can really voice out what you feel, what you believe in and be happy with it.
View this post on Instagram
Q. Now That You Have Taken A Stand About Beauty Standards And Airbrushing, Have You Seen Any Positive Change?
Yami Gautam: Yes and see again, this is not something that just happens with just one person or one particular brand. It takes time, it takes a volume of time for things to change. Now, I believe magazines have stopped airbrushing at least in the West they have. Here, I think, things are still evolving and changing. So it’s a collective effort that goes into bringing a bigger change and making a voice rather than noise. So I’m all up for it. So, yeah, that’s amazing.
View this post on Instagram
Well, I’ve already finished watching A Thursday on Disney+ Hotstar, what about you?
