2024 has been a milestone year for actress Saiyami Kher for more reasons than one. Apart from shooting for films, she reached the finishing line of the immensely gruelling Ironman triathlon. We caught up with the Ghoomer actress about ticking things off her bucket list, and her new film Agni co-starring Pratik Gandhi and Divyenndu, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

You are introduced in a fire sequence in Agni, streaming on Prime Video. Tell us about the shoot.

Saiyami Kher: It was the first sequence I did. Maybe 60 per cent of the fire that you see in the film is real fire and about 40 per cent of it has been amped up. That one particular bit where we all are in one corridor, no one can really be seen, but we are saying that we can’t break the wall down. And then the fire started to get pretty hot for us and much bigger than we expected. And it was almost like panic. There were real firefighters with us. They were casual about it because it was like a little flame for them. But we were trying to cut the shot because we were afraid of fire.

But safety-wise, it was all taken care of. Looking back, it was a film which could have been very dangerous. Things could have gone drastically wrong. But the planning was so spectacular that all went well.

Where were the fire sequences filmed?

Saiyami Kher: Pretty much the entire film was shot on a set in Film City, Mumbai. All the sets were built on one floor itself. One set was getting made while we were burning down the other set. It was like we were going to the set every day to burn the set down. If we were to do one more take, the reset would take at least 30 minutes. So, it was extremely time-consuming. This film had to be completely ready in pre-production before we could shoot. The planning had to be meticulous. Rahul sir (Dholakia, director) and Excel Entertainment (production company) made sure we were well-prepared before the film.

What kind of training did you have to undergo to play the role of a firefighter?

Saiyami Kher: Pratik Gandhi, Jeetendra Joshi, Udit Arora and I went to Byculla Fire Station and trained for 15 days. The first training was just to wear those suits, helmets and boots. They are so heavy and we had to do a bit of running in those and climb ladders. I also had a few ladder shots but I think they have kept most of Pratik’s shots only maybe because of repetition. We shot a few sequences where we climbed ladders and rescued people.

Then we were put in an obstacle course at Byculla Fire Station, where they put you through a dark room where there’s smoke and fire. You have to wear the suit and carry the oxygen tank which itself is 10-12 kilos. We trained with all of the gear and tools. We got a briefing on the fire brigade and how equipped they are. I was training for Agni while filming Ghoomer. It was physically demanding because I was playing cricket in the sun and then two hours of prep for Agni. It was pretty hectic.

What kind of feeling did wearing the firefighter’s uniform evoke in you?

Saiyami Kher: It does evoke a feeling one hundred per cent. I think any uniform does that. I played a R&AW agent in Special Ops where there’s no uniform but the feeling is the same. I play a police officer in Sunny (Deol) sir’s film Jaat. I find people in uniform extremely cool. It gives you a sense of power and authority when you wear a uniform. It definitely just makes you feel very special.

Was Agni shot at a stretch or in multiple schedules?

Saiyami Kher: It was broken down as far as I remember because this was quite some time ago. I shot for 25 days. I think they finished the film in 40-42 days. It was also because of waiting around for a long time because of the fire and the resetting.

What did the whole experience of shooting for Agni leave you with?

Saiyami Kher: When I started shooting, I felt extremely ashamed because we take so many things for granted. And not knowing anything about women’s representation in the fire department and about basic safety as citizens, I felt extremely ashamed. The response we are getting is that Agni is such an eye-opener and it just makes people very aware of many things that we were pretty unaware of. The reason for me to do this film was that it celebrates the heroes who’ve never been celebrated and we as citizens become a little more aware.

Can you share some more anecdotes from the making of Agni?

Saiyami Kher: A lot of anecdotes came from the firefighters. The scene where Jazz (played by Udit Arora) passes away in the ambulance – a firefighter told us that he lost a buddy like that.

Being in front of the camera and playing a nice, meaty role excites me. But I feel as an actor, the time you get to learn about other people’s lives, like the time I got to spend with the women firefighters, I find that a big blessing. I got to spend time with 50-odd female firefighters. They spoke about their families and their journeys. I found that inspiring.

You’re also starring in Jaat, headlined by Sunny Deol. Is the experience of working with a crew from down South drastically different from a Hindi film crew?

Saiyami Kher: Jaat is a Hindi film but the crew is mostly from the South. I’ve done a few films there. I did a film with Nagarjuna sir (Wild Dog, 2021), which was an absolute delight. But Jaat is a Hindi film. The main cast members are Hindi film actors – Sunny Deol, Randeep Hooda and Vineet Kumar Singh. The director of photography is Hindi-speaking. It is directed by Gophichandh Malineni and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. So, the experience is not drastically different.

When we spoke last time, you were shooting for Special Ops 2 in Georgia. When is it going to be released?

Saiyami Kher: We finished shooting a long time ago. I am not aware of the release date.

Are you shooting for any project right now?

Saiyami Kher: No. But I am excited to go to Australia for two test matches [India versus Australia]. I’m going to be diving in the Barrier Reef. I’m really looking forward to that break.

This year you completed the Ironman triathlon as well. What kind of a feeling did you come away with?

Saiyami Kher: It is the biggest achievement of my life. I feel prouder of it than any of my work because the Ironman triathlon requires immense mental strength. It’s a real test of your body, physically. But mentally, it’s a real test too. I can’t give anyone else credit because it’s my hard work. When you do a film, I think you should never take the credit because an actor looks a certain way because of the hair and makeup, the director makes her act, sometimes the editor saves an actor, the music saves an actor. There are so many factors. The writer writes good lines, so you can’t take credit as an actor alone. But I feel completing the Ironman triathlon is the biggest achievement of my life, undoubtedly.

How would you sum up 2024 and what are you looking forward to in 2025?

Saiyami Kher: Weirdly, time seems to fly so fast. I don’t understand how it’s happening because I began the year in Australia watching the Australian Open, which was my dream. Then I was really caught up with IPL work. We started shooting for Jaat sometime in July-August. Before that, I was shooting for something else. Then I was in Canada for Ghoomer, which was screened at the Indian Film Festival of Alberta. Then I did my Ironman triathlon.

It’s been a really packed year and I just don’t understand how months have gone by. I’m really happy with this year because of course a film was released, a film has been shot. I’ve tick-marked a bucket list thing, so it all fits great. And 2025, hopefully, brings more exciting work and I can kind of continue to cancel out the other wish list things from my bucket list.