Right from the start, she has had her own style of functioning. And even now, when Yami Gautam has completed over eight years in Bollywood (she debuted with Vicky Donor; 2012), the actor doesn’t feel the need to alter the way she works, or the method with which she chooses her films.

“It’s simple: I don’t want to get restricted by any shackles wherein, I am like, ‘oh, from now on, I will do only certain kind of parts’. No. I haven’t changed one bit. I wouldn’t want to take any decision out of any kind of fear or over-thinking that I will do only a certain kind of work now,” she says, adding what’s of “paramount importance” for her is to “continue doing as much substantial work as possible, with good directors, and just keep working.”

In terms of genre, Gautam is open to a variety. “I would love to do everything — comedy, social drama, horror comedy or any intense part. I would also love to do a costume drama one day,” she says, adding: “Comedy is something I really enjoy but not many such roles are written for female actors. I would like to explore that, and be as versatile as possible.” The actor, who has just wrapped up a schedule of Bhoot Police in Himachal Pradesh, will also be seen in Ram Madhvani’s Dhamaka, along side Kartik Aaryan.

Now, Gautam readily admits that she has reached a point wherein she is “getting the kind of work I want to do”. But things weren’t all rosy throughout. “I remember, in between, when I couldn’t get some parts that I felt should have come my way for different reasons. It led me to question a lot of things. There are times when you feel disheartened and you’re like, ‘am I doing things correctly? Am I in the right field? What’s missing?’ There were times when there was no work,” says the Chandigarh girl.

She continues: “So, finally, you take up work that you know your heart doesn’t lie in. But you have to be seen also. Thankfully, I crossed that phase with my family’s support. And a voice kept telling me, ‘you have come to Mumbai when you could have become an IAS officer in Chandigarh (smiles)’. So, there must be a reason for that.”