Abhishek Bachchan will be seen playing Saiyami Kher’s cricket coach in R Balki’s next, Ghoomer. This will be the second time that Abhishek and Saiyami will share screen space; the two were earlier seen in the second season of the web series Breathe 2.

Saiyami’s character in the film is inspired by the story of Károly Takács, the late Hungarian righthand shooter who won two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured. In an exclusive chat with Bombay Times, Saiyami and director R Balki opened up about their film and more.

Balki said, “Ghoomer is neither a traditional cricket film, nor meant to be a women’s cricket story or about women empowerment or gender dynamics. We wrote this about four years ago. It’s about an individual’s resilience who refuses to wallow in self-pity. This character happens to be a woman. What Saiyami has done with this role is incredible. Abhishek also plays a complex character. How do you help a person without pitying their circumstances? He essays a man who has not had a great life but wants to help fulfil someone else’s dream.”

Saiyami revealed, “Cricket has always been my first love and I have played the sport right from my school days. To be able to play a cricketer on screen was thrilling, but the real challenge here was different. I play a differently-abled cricketer in Ghoomer. She has only one arm and she bowls with it. I am a right-handed player, but I had to bowl with my left arm here. We had to invent a new delivery, bowling action and norms of how the sport is played. I had to field, bat, and bowl with one arm. Despite knowing the game and having the body language of a sportsman, the training took me three months. We take so many things for granted in life. Essaying this character gave me a different perspective on life. Abhishek plays the man who inspires this physically challenged cricketer to become a champion. It is not just another film on cricket. It’s about the triumph of the human spirit.”

The actress was guided by cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Ajinkya Rahane through this journey. “Most of my cricketer friends get bored talking to me about cricket, but various conversations with them helped. Cricket commentator and former left-arm spinner Murali Kartik was of great help in particular.”