Saiyami Kher, who debuted in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya, will soon be back in the second season of Special Ops. She speaks to t2 as she boards her 2023 release 8AM Metro once more for its web premiere on Zee5.
8AM Metro is based on a Telugu novel (Andamina Jeevitam by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy). Is it the first time that it is being adapted for the screen?
I’m not quite aware whether the novel has been made to anything before. To my knowledge, it has not. The movie is loosely based on the novel. I have not read the novel because our director Raj (Rachakonda) wanted us to know the script first-hand. The film is what Raj has adapted the novel into and the script has those changes.
Saiyami Kher in 8AM Metro The Telegraph
The film is based on a meeting of strangers, right?
The film is about two strangers meeting on the 8am Metro, as the title suggests, and the serendipity of these strangers meeting, coming in each other’s lives and making their lives better and then going away. They keep meeting on the 8am Metro for about a week. They have conversations about life and learn about certain issues about each other.... The scenes are predominantly shot on a Metro but also incorporate their lives, their families, places where they go. The film reminded me of Before Sunrise, one of my favourite films. There they leave the train and spend a day together but here they meet on the train daily over a week.
Tell us about your character.
My character is named Iravati and she has gone through a traumatic stage in her life. She is pretty young and she keeps getting panic attacks. This film talks about mental health, a topic that needs to be spoken about in today’s world. She meets Preetam, a banker (played by Gulshan Devaiah), and he helps her out of her issues and anxiety. Sometimes in life you open up to strangers and that is what happens to Iravati. She is also a poet. She is a family person. We see a lot of what goes through her head through poetry (written by Gulzar for the film).
Which genre would you place this film in?
It’s a slice-of-life film that taught me a lot about myself. I try to do films in different genres. I love doing action, but this film is completely different from what I’ve ever done before — a very homely character.
Trains are integral to life in Bombay. Did you ever take a train regularly in your starting years?
Very often, because I have studied in Mumbai. I took the 7.53am local train from Bandra to St. Xaviers College in Mumbai for five years of my life. Now that the Metro is there, sometimes if I am late for shooting I catch the Metro. It is the most efficient form of commuting. I love train journeys.
Coming to Ghoomer (a 2023 release co-starring Abhishek Bachchan), you had trained really hard to pick up a bowler’s action.
I used to play cricket for the under-16 Maharashtra team. But I gave it up long ago. The training was very different because I had to become a left-hander.
Do you still go back to the cricket field or there’s no time any more?
There is no time but I’m still very much a sportsperson at heart so I try to play some sport.
What comes next from you?
I have a film with Excel Entertainment called Agni with Prateik Gandhi and Divyendu, directed by Rahul Dholakia, that is due to release in a few months. I also have the second season of Special Ops with Neeraj Pandey, which also I hope will be released in the next three-four months. I love working with Neeraj sir. I am starting something else which should be announced by August.
Who are on your wish list of directors?
I debuted with Rakeysh (Omprakash) Mehra (in Mirzya), I have worked with Anurag Kashyap (Choked), Neeraj Pandey (Special Ops) and R. Balki (Ghoomer). I’d love to work with all of them again. Besides them, I am a big fan of Zoya Akhtar and Farhan (Akhtar), who is directing after a long while. Everyone wants to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Vasan Bala is another director I like. Shakun Batra has done a few films but I love his work. There’s a long list of other directors I’d love to work with.
