EXCLUSIVE: Yami Gautam on being asked to ‘dress your age’: Why can’t I walk in a meeting in kurti & jeans?
The actress opened up about her journey, making it on her own, being asked to ‘dress your age’ & losing out on work. Read on
Yami Gautam made her Hindi film debut with Shoojit Sircar’s 2012 film, Vicky Donor and since then has made an important space for herself in the film industry. She has also been applauded for her performance in Kaabil, Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bala. In a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, the actress opened up about her journey, making it on her own, being asked to ‘dress your age’ & losing out on work. Yami says the journey hasn’t been easy. “Of course it was very tough. There are so many things which you have to handle. (Sometimes) anyone saying anything on your face, you don’t know what it means and don’t know what to do. There could be people having opinions on the way you dress for a meeting, on the way you do your makeup, hair or how you carry yourself,” says Yami.
She recalls an incident, “I had an audition for a really big production house, and the person is one of the most popular casting directors. That person told me my screen test was really good. By then I had shot for Vicky Donor, but it had not been released. So I was very happy, because they wanted to launch a new face. (They said) ‘you have been shortlisted but the problem is, you should dress your age, why do you dress like that’. I don’t know what it means, what’s wrong with just jeans and a top,” asserts Yami, adding that she wanted to say so many things to that person.
“If I look the part, it’s your job and the hair and makeup team’s job to make me look the way the character demands, and the rest of course is my job as an actor. So why can’t I walk in a meeting in a kurti and jeans if I want to, versus what you expect me to. How does that matter?” questions Yami.
She further adds, “Today it’s comfortable for me to talk but at that time I came out thinking that I have lost the part for sure. But what do I do about it if I don’t connect with something? What kind of an expectation is this?”
To know more about Yami’s journey and her challenges, check out the below video.