Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Yami Gautam: ‘If I like a script, I just go for it ’

Eastern Eye spoke to the actress to talk about OMG 2, her journey from television, being self-made and the art of choosing good projects.  

Yami Gautam: ‘If I like a script, I just go for it ’

WITH her most recent films Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, Lost, Bhoot Police, A Thurs - day, Dasvi and Ginny Weds Sunny having streaming site premieres, Yami Gautam returned to cinema screens with the new release OMG 2 after a gap of four years.

 The satirical comedy-drama sequel sees her star opposite Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi. She plays a no-nonsense lawyer in the story that combines a legal battle, morality, sex education and di - vine intervention. Eastern Eye caught up with the actress to discuss the film, her journey from television, being self-made and the art of choosing good projects.  


You play a lawyer in OMG 2. What kind of preparation did you do for the role? 

 My preparation in - volved a lot of reading. I like to be very thorough with my script to the point where I am tired, but every time I read it, I feel that there is something different I felt this time. For this part, I worked on my diction, my enunciation and in what different way you say a line as a lawyer. You are not just delivering lines. Your audience should feel that emotion and diction. You play a lawyer in the film, who goes up against the everyday man played by Pankaj Tripathi. How was that? Well, he is very entertaining. He is very funny and that was just because the char - acter has to be. It is Pankaj Tripathi, he has his own style of comedy. There is no exaggeration but only situational comedy. 

Did you have any apprehensions be - fore signing a film that talks about sex education? 

As an actress, I have never shied away from taking up such roles. I spoke with Akshay Kumar also that it’s very important that the kind of audience this film is catering to should not feel embarrassed or shy away at any point. I feel very happy that I decided to go ahead with this film. When I read a script and if I like it, I don’t over analyse, I just go for it. I just go with my first instinct. So far, it has been in sync with the audience. So, I hope even this one does too.  

You started on television before venturing into films. What was that experience like?  

My first TV serial (Chand Ke Paar Chalo) didn’t do well. It ran for just three or six months. But, a lot of people told me, ‘You were very good in it’. I have very faint memories of television. I just re - member working at a stretch for hours and hours, without going home. I didn’t know what to do or cry without glycerine. You need to cry a lot on TV.  

Is that why you decided against working for TV? 

 I took a sabbatical. I said, ‘I want to try auditioning to see the world now which is beyond this, because I am not enjoying what I am doing creatively’. Of course, television comes with its own financial security but that’s not my priori - ty. I wanted to do something else. Films are, of course, altogether different.  

Was transitioning to films easy? 

 You feel, ‘oh, what’s so difficult?’ If you are a good actor, that’s it. First film hit, what more can go wrong? Fantastic! But that’s not how it is and we all know that. It takes a lot to be here and come to a point where you can give voice to your choices.  

Do you feel proud of the fact that you are a self-made actor?  

There is nothing called a self-made ac - tor. Even though I am from another city with no background, there are always people behind you and rooting for you. Be it your family, certain fans, that one producer, or a director who is willing to take that punt on you, saying, ‘I want to cast her and let’s see what happens’. 

 You have always chosen characters that are different from one another. Are all these choices intentional? 

 They are very much intentional. It is not possible that you’re making these choices and not be aware of what you are doing. In fact, a lot of work and thought goes into it. Maybe that thought was always there, even when there weren’t many opportunities. I am very proud of that phase also. Now where I have the choice to make those choices, I pick good films. OMG2 is definitely a part of it.  

The uniqueness started with your debut Bollywood film?  

I started my career with a film like Vicky Donor. If I tell you, a lot of people had said, ‘what a time is this, that a film on such a (taboo) subject is being made’. But it turned out to be a family enter - tainer and a cult film because of the path-breaking writing. 

 How do you make sure that you don’t repeat yourself? 

Capture 77

 It come from nuances. It comes from depth, your speech, how good your Hin - di is or whatever language you are speaking, for that matter. Even if you are not talking, sometimes silences are more powerful than words. So, all that comes from, I think, your director and the actor’s understanding. 

 Your films have performed well on multiple platforms, but is the joy of a theatrical hit more powerful than a streaming platform success?  

This just reminds me that OMG 2 is my first theatrical release after Bala in 2019. 2019 gave me Bala, URI: The Surgical Strike and my husband (director Aditya Dhar). Absolutely, the joy of a theatrical release is unparalleled. It’s something else. Films were meant for the big screens and made to be enjoyed in a dark hall, where you are sitting next to strangers, your family or friends. You are just transported to this whole new world. Times change. We never saw it (Covid-19) coming and completely changing the viewer watch - ing experience. 

 Did this in - form your choices? 

 As an actor, when I sign a film, I don’t think even one bit that okay, this is for OTT and for theatrical. If it’s like that, then I don’t do that film. A film has to be good and should be. It’s a producer’s prerogative, a hard call that what should we do next. Unless it’s already a pre-sold with 

More For You

Raynor Winn

The controversy, now widely referred to as The Salt Path scandal

Getty Images

Raynor Winn calls Salt Path scandal claims 'highly misleading' amid backlash

Highlights

  • The Salt Path author Raynor Winn calls media claims “highly misleading”
  • Allegations published in The Observer raise doubts about key memoir details
  • PSPA charity ends relationship with Winn and her husband Moth
  • Winn pulls out of Saltlines tour but is still scheduled for literary events

Author rejects claims as legal advice sought

Raynor Winn, the author of the best-selling memoir The Salt Path, has strongly denied accusations that parts of her book are fabricated, describing recent media coverage as “highly misleading” and confirming that she and her husband are taking legal advice.

The controversy, now widely referred to as The Salt Path scandal, follows an Observer report that disputes aspects of the memoir’s central narrative, including the timeline and medical diagnosis that prompted the journey at the heart of the book.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan’s journey of heart and heritage: From Himalayan tales to global acclaim

When Jasbinder Bilan first paused her teaching career to pursue a creative writing degree, she had no idea it would lead to a life-changing breakthrough. What began as a leap of faith became a journey filled with hope, rejection and ultimately triumph. Inspired by her beloved grandmother and her Indian roots, Bilan poured her soul into her debut manuscript Song of the Mountain. Though the publishing world was not immediately ready for her story, perseverance paid off when she won the 2016 Times Chicken House Prize, launching her celebrated writing career. Now, following the success of her Costa Award-winning Asha and the Spirit Bird, Bilan returns with a powerful new historical adventure, Naeli and the Secret Song. In this exclusive interview, she speaks about the emotional inspiration behind the book, her love for young readers and the importance of believing in your voice — no matter how long it takes to be heard.

What first connected you to writing?
It was stories more than writing that were my first love. My grandmother, Majee, was the storyteller in our house and it was those bonding moments that sparked my love for creating my own stories. She told me lots of Indian folk tales at bedtime, but she also shared stories of our life in India on the farm near the foothills of the Himalaya. So, I grew up feeling connected to a place that I then filled with my imagination. As a little girl I loved drawing and writing, and always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a long time to make that dream come true.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler’s ‘Evita’ Performance Sparks Broadway Buzz

Rachel Zegler stuns in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita as Palladium crowds grow nightly

Instagram/officialevita

Rachel Zegler shines in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ as West End hit eyes Broadway transfer

Quick highlights:

 
     
  • Rachel Zegler plays Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical Evita revival at the London Palladium.
  •  
  • A viral moment features Zegler singing live from the theatre’s balcony to crowds on the street.
  •  
  • Lloyd’s stripped-down staging amps up visuals and sound but sacrifices storytelling depth.
  •  
  • Talks are on for a Broadway transfer as early as 2026 with Zegler confirmed to reprise her role.
  •  
 

Rachel Zegler commands the London stage as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s daring reimagining of Evita, a production that trades subtlety for spectacle and could soon be heading to Broadway.

Following the success of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd’s signature stripped-down style meets rock concert intensity in this revived version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical. Zegler, in only her second major stage role, dazzles with commanding vocals and presence, even as critics debate the show’s dramatic clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less
K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less