Yami Gautam Dhar knows she has to pay a price for staying away from the paparazzi but she’s okay with it as she wants to let her films do the talking. We caught up with Yami at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024 in Goa where she made her first public appearance post-childbirth and where her film Article 370 was screened in the Indian Panorama section.

How do you reflect on your journey with Article 370?

Yami Gautam Dhar: There are so many memories. The memories from day one of page one of the script, training for the film, getting into the skin of the character, learning that I’m expecting a baby through the course of the film, and shooting the action film during pregnancy to reach here. I was lucky to have Aditya (Dhar) by my side as my producer and husband. And the fact that it defied so many rules. It was a genre-defining film. I don’t remember watching a political thriller like Article 370 coming from our country.

Of course, there were concerns and questions as this is a film based on a document/article. It’s an information-heavy film. Nothing unnecessary was added to titillate the audience. But Aditya was confident. I think people not only enjoyed the film but also the way the film was made – the writing, background music, editing, visuals and performances.

Article 370 was showcased at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024…

Yami Gautam Dhar: To be nominated along with some important films from around the world at our country’s film festival, which is gaining such massive international recognition, speaks volumes about where we stand today as cinema and audience. We are so inclusive of every kind of film if it’s a well-made film. So, it reinstates my faith to go by instinct, take risks and work hard.

How do you approach playing characters in uniform? You have done it in Uri: The Surgical Strike, Dasvi and Article 370.

Yami Gautam Dhar: It’s the script first. What is the intention behind making a film? Are we following a trend, or are we creating one? It happened with Uri. Even though it was a slick operation war film, it was something that we hadn’t seen in a long time. Dasvi attempted a subject where we shot inside a real jail. Article 370 was a whole new level of being realistic. There can be different kinds of police officers in terms of portrayal on screen. But the ones I’ve been associated with, especially Article 370 and Uri, were as authentic and close to reality as possible.

The feeling is hard to describe but the moment you get dressed in a uniform, there’s a certain respect that that uniform commands from you. Your shoulders will not droop. They will straighten themselves. The walk, the gait, the body language is something else. Of course, there’s a lot of training that goes behind it. You gain that confidence by the day. We cannot even imagine the rigorous training our armed forces go through. As actors, we do just a tiny gist of it, and that too takes hours of training. Also, while playing a character in uniform, you must do justice to that character, especially the uniform. That also comes from the director.

Aditya (Dhar, Uri director) highly respects the Indian army. I remember we were two days away from the release of Uri. I asked Aditya, ‘How are you feeling?’ It’s a very cliche question because this was also his first film. He said, ‘I’m calm. But I really hope that the film does well for two reasons. I hope the army feels proud of their representation and depiction on the big screen. I hope I don’t let them down. And I hope that a producer who’s taken a risk with a first-time filmmaker like me recovers his money. If they are covered, I’m happy.’ So, it really comes from the filmmaker. If they are particular and do their homework diligently, the reward is something else.

You said it’s the script that convinces you to go for a role. What is that you look for in a script?

Yami Gautam Dhar: The first is instinct. What was the first feeling I had when I finished reading the script? Did it make me feel happy? Did I feel connected? Did the emotional scenes in the script make me emotional, or did the funny scenes make me laugh? If it’s a thriller, could I guess what would happen in the end? So, I go by my first feeling without any second thought. I react to the film as an audience first; and later comes the actor in me who thinks, ‘Is it a good film for me to do? Is there something new for me to do? Will I enjoy doing this?’

After Article 370, my expectations from myself have to go up. It cannot be what it was three years back. It’s all about growth. Am I doing that? Is that film allowing me to do that? So, that’s my first and foremost thought. And then, of course, the director of the film. I like to have a candid conversation with the director about how he/she came up with the idea and his/her intent. And I’m honest with my feedback. I have a lot of respect for writers. I am married to one, so I know what it takes to write a film. I love reading scripts. I also enquire about the technical team because I am always intrigued by who’s doing the cinematography, editing, background music, and sound design. These are the people who make a film. You see the actors because we perform and give interviews.

You have conducted yourself and your career differently than most actors. What have been the biggest challenges in your journey, and what is still challenging?

Yami Gautam Dhar: The key challenge was to get the kind of roles in films that I knew in my heart I should be getting or doing. But how do I convince the person sitting on the other side that I can do this? After debuting with a film like Vicky Donor, which was a path-breaking and successful film, maybe it was a mistake that I assumed that that was my best expression as an actor. That this is the kind of work I’m here to do. But things don’t work here based on assumptions or what you feel about yourself. Also, the whole gamut of carrying or projecting yourself in a certain way. I realised that you’re not only an actor, you also become a brand, an image and who you are representing.

It’s so much more complicated than I had thought. And it’s not just about doing films, it’s about how many brands you’ve got, how many events you’ve got, how many followers you’ve got. I think our generation is the one that saw the growth of paparazzi and the monster that it became or we made it. While I knew in my heart what I wanted to do, I didn’t know how to express it. I think that that kind of fear grasps you – fear of being misjudged and misconstrued. You sometimes think, ‘Okay, let me also do the kind of films that everyone is doing. Maybe I’m wrong. My instinct was that that was not a good script or the kind of film I should be doing. But I genuinely respect that too because it gave me work at that time. But strictly speaking, you always know your truth, you can never cheat your conscience.

Now it was all about rediscovering that. While I’m still not someone who is the best when it comes to PR, I do have someone fantastic working with me. They would customise their work as per my personality. You wouldn’t see me getting spotted walking out of offices, going to the gym, or at the airport because that’s the choice I made. I know there’s a certain price I may have to pay for it, but that’s absolutely okay.

I’m happy not being overexposed. I’m happy talking to you and coming in front of my audience vis-a-vis my films. And then I have to make sure that I deliver a fantastic film and a fantastic performance. So, I have to be really good at it consistently to be present here in this very room, competition and industry, where I’ve made a conscious decision to carry myself the way I do and yet get the kind of work I want to do.