In a standout scene in Bala — after she has walked out of her marriage upon discovering that her husband is bald — Yami Gautam’s character explains to Ayushmann Khurrana’s protagonist why looks are of utmost importance to her. Shallow, you’d assume, but the actor infuses such vulnerability in her part that you deeply empathise with her.
“The film was an amalgamation of so many factors — a novel genre, a comic heroine and the relevance of my role,” begins Gautam. While the Khurrana-led comedy is steadily heading towards the Rs 100-crore mark at the box office, Gautam has been the surprise package of the film.
It is not easy to play a character, who is all-consumed with her beauty, without alienating the audience. But Gautam credits director Amar Kaushik and writer Niren Bhatt for making her character Pari endearing. “Pari is ditsy and dramatic, but not slapstick. She is obsessed with good looks. She represents that part of society, which thrives on the attention they’ve got all their lives. Amar and Niren have put so much heart in the writing.”
It may have taken the industry seven years to wake up to her talent, but she is glad that things have changed with Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bala. “I know what I am capable of as an actor. I am aware of my talent, but I can’t showcase it to the world unless I’m offered parts that do justice to my potential. I was stereotyped as a dainty pretty girl, and it’s finally changing.”
