Actor Saiyami Kher: ‘I will be lying if I say I don’t want a Rs 100-crore film’

One look at Saiyami Kher’s social media page and you will know that the Choked actor is big time into sports and fitness — even her bio claims she is a ‘Sport/Sachin lover’. A travel documentary cycling in Italy sounds right up her alley then. The light-eyed actor from Nashik who made her debut with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya in 2016 has R Balki’s Ghoomer with Abhishek Bachchan and Rahul Dholakia’s Agni in the pipeline. Edited excerpts from a conversation:

Saiyami Kher in Italy for her travel documentary.

Tell us about the travel documentary you shot in Italy?

In 2018, I cycled from Germany to Prague with just my backpack. I didn’t know there was something called bikepacking back then. I would start cycling at 5 in the morning, cycle for 70-80 km and find a hostel to stay the night and start again the next day. I must have done some 300-odd km in six-seven days. That was for leisure but this documentary is obviously more structured. It was also way more challenging because we had an uphill climb of 4,500m, which is a different ball game altogether. It is definitely one of the best trips I have ever done.

What did you explore and what will the viewers get to see?

We were pretty much around Lake Garda in the north of Italy. We cycled around it — an area of approximately 320-odd km. It was the first pass I have done. We were exploring the sights and the food and came across churches and monuments, but predominantly, it is the challenge of bikepacking that you get to see along with the sightseeing, food and culture.

You are a cycling as well as cricket enthusiast. How did you cultivate this sporty side of you?

I started off with badminton when I was in school and was ranked India No. 8 or 9 when I was under 16. Then Saina Nehwal, who was two years my senior, demolished me in the open nationals. I used to coach and be around boys and that is how I started playing cricket. I’ve been obsessed with the game since. I was also called for the national team selection but I chose badminton over cricket. When I came to Mumbai from Nashik, I was studying in St Xavier’s College and ended up playing nine sports for college. It is when I started working in films then I took up running. I have run two full marathons and 20 half marathons. My next fitness goal is to do an Ironman Triathlon which is the most physically and mentally torturous thing people can do to themselves! (laughs)

Your debut film Mirzya was a failure at the Box Office and they say failure teaches more than success…

I agree 100 per cent. When Mirzya released, I was really young and I did not realise the implications of a non-successful film at the Box Office. I had enjoyed being on the set so much. My friends used to tease me and say that it’s good you have a movie out because then Sachin (Tendulkar) will see it. Then we got the Master to come and watch Mirzya, so in my head everything was going great. In the time to come, it really hit me hard because I was locked in for a few projects and those people stopped answering my manager’s calls. You start seeing the true colours of people when you are not successful and not just people from the industry but even among your friends and family. There is absolutely no disappointment or bitterness. If it had been a success, it would have been a much easier journey for me, but it’s alright. This is another reason I rely on sports so much because it teaches you to chin up and move on.

Saiyami Kher with Gulshan Devaiah in '8 Am Metro'.

You have worked with some of the most notable directors, including Anurag Kashyap, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Raj & DK, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and R Balki among others, yet you do not seem to be a part of the rat race. How do you see your own trajectory?

I will be lying if I say I don’t want a Rs 100-crore film. I will be lying if I say that I don’t want to be a popular actor in the Hindi film industry. The reason I would like to have a commercially successful film is that it gives you the opportunity to choose work which you would like to do. Secondly, your audience becomes bigger. If you have a Rs 100-crore film it means that many tickets have sold as opposed to an 8 Am Metro, a film I am very proud of but maybe lesser people know of it.

I have been extremely lucky and grateful that I got to work with these directions. Am I in the rat race? There was a time that I was told by my well-wishers that I should be more girlie and not put out so many sporty images. I didn’t know any better so I did that but the learning has been that there should be no pretence. Maybe, if I had listened and done that, I probably would have had a different career graph but now I am very happy doing different and interesting work.

Saiyami Kher with Angad Bedi in R Balki's next film 'Ghoomer'.

Next up is R Balki’s Ghoomer where you play a cricketer with a disability. Given that you love cricket so much, how easy or challenging was it to get into a role like this?

This is all I have wanted to play on screen — mixing my passion of being in front of the camera and playing a sport I have loved, so it cannot get more exciting than Ghoomer for me. Balki sir and I had been in talks for this film for a really long time and it wasn’t working out then. He told me he will make this film only with me because I am a sportsperson. He said it is not just about playing the sport but also about the body language and mannerisms. Having said that, it is the toughest film I have done. One is the physical aspect of it. Playing cricket is fine but in the film, I lose my arm, so I have to play cricket with my non-dominant arm which was a challenge. It was also mentally exhausting. I spoke to a number of para-athletes to understand what they go through. It was emotionally draining for me and it took me a long time to come out of it which has never happened in my other projects.

Will you be showing the film to Sachin Tendulkar?

Oh, that will happen for sure! I have already reached out to him and he is hopefully going to watch it soon.

There is also Agni where you play a firefighter… 

Yes, Rahul Dholakia is directing it and it has an interesting ensemble cast including Pratik Gandhi who I consider an exceptional talent. I didn’t even know there were female firefighters, so it was such a learning experience to spend time with them and hear their stories.