As we unfurl the Tricolour at Yami Gautam Dhar’s Mumbai house, she beams, “Aditya (Dhar, filmmaker and husband) would have been so happy if he was here right now.” Fresh off the acclaim coming her way for Haq, the glow is evident on her face as she poses for HT City in an exclusive Republic Day shoot.
MEMORIES
Watching the parade on TV early morning is a routine almost all of us share on January 26. Yami is no different, “My memories of the day include just getting ready, as soon as we could, and sitting in front of the TV, waiting for the parade to start! One culture, one state after the other. It was so fascinating. We were so young… even if you don’t understand the complete meaning, somewhere as a kid you’re getting introduced to your sense of pride.”
As we grow up and life takes over, our unbridled patriotism comes alive only on January 26 and August 15 more than any other day, we add. Yami feels the love for India isn’t bound by dates, “It’s not just about these two days, but about what we carry within ourselves each and every day of life. It’s literally a way of life.”
PATRIOTIC FILM CHOICES
Before Haq, there was yet another big hit in Yami’s filmography which had patriotism at it’s core: Article 370. And of course, Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019). In times where every step taken by a public figure comes under scrutiny and there is always a section who gets outraged at something- does she find making such choices risky? Yami replies, “I’ve always been a believer in my first instinct… that never ditches you. Your own conscience always knows the right answer. And if that is clear, if the script is good, it’s a solid theme, and it’s a part that I’m excited to play, I do not think twice before taking on that journey. I’ve never done that in life, regardless of what the outcome is. Of course, the idea, the intent is to instill the feeling of oneness in the country, to tell stories. If I get an opportunity to play unsung heroes within the same system, like in Uri, I was playing an officer from the intelligence department… we cannot even imagine the work that they do for the country, the sacrifices.”
She goes on to add that whoever’s serving the nation in their own way, needs to be lauded. “And if we get that opportunity through our industry, the entertainment business, why not? And if the audience accepts it, which they did, I think that’s it for me, that’s more than anything else than I can ask for,” says the 37-year-old.
BEING AN INDIAN TODAY
What’s it like, being an Indian today, we ask. The actor says, “I feel very proud. Every country, every state, everybody has their own sets of challenges. How we tackle them on a day-to-day basis, yet keep our head high…being in the film industry is an important yet small part of our life. Whatever is in my capacity otherwise to ensure that whatever I do, even if it is something as small… for example, when I travel and I see anyone littering the roads, I always call it out. It doesn’t have to be always on social media. Our country is like our home. Someone’s coming and dirtying our home, let’s not allow that to happen.”
