Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; August 2, 2019)

When Yami Gautam signed Bala, an upcoming satirical black comedy, she was well-aware that the comic genre is both challenging and novel for her. Though she hasn’t tried anything in the same vein earlier, Yami has been a big fan of actresses like Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Juhi Chawla, all of whom had an infallible comic timing. With Bala kickstarting the first of her three back-to-back comedy films, Yami found inspiration in her screen idols. She says, “An actor cannot replicate someone's brand of humour or comic timing, but they can internalise the larger approach by learning the nitty-gritty of how they performed. Films like Sridevi’s Chaalbaaz or Juhi Chawla's comedy scenes in Yes Boss or even something as simple as Madhuri Dixit Nene’s comic bits in Hum Aapke Hain Koun! (HAHK) have been a big part of my childhood. There is a method to their acts, a certain twitch of the eye to convey a certain emotion or a raised eyebrow to convey something else. Comedy isn't always about laugh-out-loud jokes; sometimes, humour can be expressed in a subtle manner. The actresses of the 90s set the bar high for us in terms of comedy.”

Ask her about her favourites, and Yami says, “Almost all of them. I have been a movie buff since I was a kid. I remember enacting some scenes from HAHK as a child. They have been such solid examples for our generation of actors. On days when I have time, I sit and watch my favourite films again, hoping that some of that magical work rubs off on me.”