Yami went through a low phase after her debut film

Going through ups and downs is a common phenomenon in any Bollywood actor’s life, but Yami Gautam believes in going with the flow and not losing hope in life. The actor says that she learned this while she was dealing with a low phase in life that she went through right after the success of her debut Bollywood film, Vicky Donor (2012) as two of her subsequent films — Total Siyappa (2014) and Action Jackson (2014) tanked at the box office. She admits it was difficult for her to cope when these films failed to make a mark and impress the audiences.

“Post the success of your first film, there is a lot of pressure on you regarding what your next project is going to be. Two of my films after Vicky Donor did not do well. So, there was a time when I used to be very scared of going out for an event and face the public because I did not know what to tell the media about what I am doing next, and I would wonder how am I going to respond to them asking me about my films not doing well. I was too young and new in the industry to understand how to handle all these questions. And it was not easy,” says Yami.

At that point, the actor shares that her family stood by her side. “My mum and sister helped me during that time. They helped me cope with the situation and made me realise that such things are part and parcel of this industry and life in general. I then decided to concentrate on grooming myself, and improve my skills, rather than just feeling bad about what had happened and cribbing about it. What’s important is that you have to keep going and every time you fall, you must try and get back with a fresh energy,” she adds.

Yami also feels that now she is better prepared to deal with such situations. “Yes, things like this will keep happening, but this time I am prepared and I will be able to handle it better. This time I will gobble the ice cream, maybe with a smile. You just cannot give up, and you have to keep working,” says the Kaabil (2017) actor.

Yami is currently working on two films — Shree Narayan Singh’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu also starring Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, and Aditya Dhar’s debut venture Uri that also stars Vicky Kaushal.

Yami Gautam PHOTO: SHIVAM SAXENA/HT