Exclusive: âœSports have always been my first loveâ says Saiyami Kher

Saiyami Kher has been a sportsperson at heart all her life, it's what fuels her energy she believes. Well aware of the trials and tribulations of being in the film industry, she has cracked the code to take it all in her stride. Her last release Ghoomer got her immense appreciation for playing the convincing role of a paraplegic bowler. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, she expresses gratitude towards R.Balki for having faith in her and to all her co-stars who have only helped her become a better actor with every film. Excerpts...

Would Ghoomer still feel special to you, say five years from now?

I'm extremely proud of it because I think it's a story of para-athletes that should be celebrated. I believe that what they do is pretty much impossible, and they made it possible. Secondly, sports have always been my first love. Before I started acting, I used to play sports, so the sportsman in me never died, and for me, it was always a dream to portray a sportsperson. And there were quite a few films made, but the producers and directors didn't have faith in me, and Balki showed that belief in me and made this film, which has pretty much taken everything out of me physically and emotionally, and very rarely do you get a feeling like this so early on in your career. Six years into my career, getting such a solid role will always be very special because I found one of my closest friends in the film. I want to work with Shabana Azmi, who's a legend herself. I want to work with Adi again, who I like and who was my first friend. I shared the screen with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, so there were too many tick marks on this film.

Since you're such an avid sports lover, are there any new learnings you took away from Ghoomer?

I am not a left-hander, so my learning was all to learn from—learning how to play and live life with one hand, with my left hand, and as a cricketer. Big learning because I've never been coached. This is the first time that I have been coached. I've always learned how to play cricket by watching television. This is the first time I got a coach to play cricket from Murali Karthik and the local coach in Mumbai. Then I got to interact with some of the best cricketing minds and talk about the game with them. Ravichandran Ashwin, Harsha Bhogle, Rashid Khan, and Virender Sehwag all saw the film and discussed the film with me, so there was lots of learning that I took out of the film. 

Your next is with Rahul Dholakia; tell us a little about the experience so far.

Oh, my next film, Agni, which is directed by Rahul Dholakia, is a film on firefighters, and it's again something where I learned a whole lot of new skills. I got to spend a lot of time with firefighters. I was so unaware, living in this city, about the people who protect us. The film was so smooth to shoot. Also, working with Rahul is extremely chilled out, and he is very clear about what he wants and very easy to work with. No hang-ups whatsoever, and the entire cast was great because you have Pratik Gandhi and Divyenndu. Most of my work was with Pratik, and he’s a fantastic actor. I do hope I get to work with him again in the future. 

Pratik Gandhi is currently the man of the hour, with his films doing so well. What did you enjoy the most as a co-actor?

His involvement in everything. He is a theatre actor who's also directed stuff, and he has thought through pretty much everything, so there's involvement at every single stage. He is just one of the nicest people around. I think his struggles have made him a solid actor, and he's a solid human being. I enjoyed spending time with him. 

What is the most essential factor for you while collaborating with a fellow actor?

I think the most essential thing is just comfort, and if a human being is nice, the actor I feel is automatically nice. I've been very lucky; be it Abhishek Bachchan, Pratik, or Gulshan Devaiah, I've worked with some nice people. For me, I’ve always felt that every time I've worked with someone, I consider them all far superior actors to me, so I've always bettered myself as an actor when I work with people who are this good. I just feel it should be a lot of give and take because you can't be selfish. If the person is selfish, it's very difficult to have a selfish co-actor give your cues and be involved in it. And I've received that kind of selflessness from all the actors I've worked with. I've been very fortunate. 

You'll be seen in Special Ops Season 3. Are you feeling any pressure because the audience has high expectations from it?

Oh, no pressure at all. Every time I take on a project, I do it because I am enjoying it. In this one, of course, you're contracted for two seasons, and going back to a franchise is always fun when the crew is fun. It's just lots of fun to go back to something that's been done well. 

You're really into fitness; tell us your idea of it.

My idea of fitness is consistency. I feel that if anyone is consistent, then anyone can be fit. I do a lot of sports and fitness, not only for my physical well-being but also for my mental health, because being an actor is a very tough job. I think the film industry is a very tough place, and every time I'm down and out, I think sports pull me out of my downs. Also, I like to keep goals in mind. I'm not somebody who just goes and says, Oh, today I have to go to work out. I like to register for a race and work towards that. Every year I'll try and do something like I've been running marathons for the last five-six years now. If your mind agrees, your body follows. 

You're participating in the Iron Man Marathon; what prompted you to take up the challenge?

Iron Man, the marathon, and Iron Man are two different things. Iron Man, the marathon, is only running; Iron Man is three sports. I will be swimming, cycling, and then running a marathon. There are three things that I'll be doing. What prompts me to do it is just my bucket list of goals that I want to achieve in life. I think the only other actor in the country who has done it is Milind Soman. And I have immense respect for him. I've been running marathons, which is 42 kilometres of running. I've done a few full marathons and a few half marathons, but the next goal for me was to do an Iron Man, and it's just something that I want to do. 

Would you say you've reached a stage as an actor where you're getting the kind of roles you'd aimed for?

Oh, not. I feel that the struggle is always very much on, and I'm extremely grateful for the work that's come my way. I've had people like Anurag Kashyap who trusted me with Choked and Balki who trusted me with Ghoomer and Metro, which are completely on the girl's shoulders. I've been very blessed that makers have trusted me with these intense roles. But at the same time, it's not been easy at all because it’s not an easy industry to survive in, and I knew when I signed up that it wasn't going to be easy. It's not that I wasn't prepared for it. As far as feeling content as an actor, I'll never be content because then I will not want to improve and get better. The goal is always to improve, work on myself, and hopefully get more and more interesting projects to do. 

 

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