‘WE KNEW THERE WILL BE DEBATES AROUND OUR FILM’

In an exclusive chat with us, Yami and Aditya talk about being pregnant and the success of their recently released movie, Article 370
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 29, 2024)

Actor Yami Gautam Dhar and filmmaker Aditya Dhar sit down with HT City for their first-ever interview as a couple after they announced their pregnancy to the world during the promotion of the film Article 370. 

TWO GOOD NEWS
“We got into films because we wished someday hamari film ki bhi tareef hogi, log seetiyaan bajayenge,” Aditya says in response to Article 370’s extraordinary reviews. He adds, “It happened first with Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), and now with this movie. To see this kind of response in multiplexes, which usually happens on single screens, this love... We are on top of the world. A lot of people discouraged us. ‘Yeh film nahin chalegi’, it’s a technical film, and it also had a lot of English. But we always felt that people have this tendency, especially in our industry, to underestimate our audiences.” 

Yami, who portrayed an intelligence officer in the movie, adds, “This is validation in its truest form. Those claps and hoots are music to our ears.”

While snacking and looking radiantly pregnant, she jokes, “I will eat and talk; no manners or etiquette; I am getting the signal that I need to eat.” 

BABY ON BOARD
The pair got married in 2021 and expecting their first child in May this year. Reflecting at the moment they learnt about the pregnancy during the shooting of Article 370, Aditya recalls, “Luckily, our action portions were done by then [the pregnancy]. We were in the hotel... It was a really happy moment, something I will remember for the rest of our lives.” Yami joins, “You are never prepared for a moment like that. You only realise it once you are in it. I can’t stop smiling... It’s a personal time; we are private people. We had to be cautious.” 

Aditya ensured they had a panel of doctors available 24/7 during the shoot. Yami says, “But never did I want to hold myself back. I wanted to have the same strength that my mom had when she was pregnant. I am so lucky to have a life partner like Aditya; he has been a huge support.”

It is a happy occasion when a joint collaboration hits it out of the park. In Yami Gautam Dhar and Aditya Dhar’s case, they met and began dating on the sets of their first collab, Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019). Now, with their second film together, Article 370, the duo are en route to become parents.

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY?
The fact that Aditya’s wife is playing the lead in a film he is producing might seem ‘obvious’ to some people. However, Aditya tells us that Yami is approached, just like any other actor, whenever he is working on a new project. “We are always professional. It is our second production with Yami and it is always routed through her management. When we talk about commercials too, it is never across the table. Our company and producers decided unanimously that we should go with Yami. And she has given her heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears to this film,” he says.

POLITICAL FILMS — A RISK?
Yami has always chosen unconventional films, right from her debut, Vicky Donor (2012) to Article 370. Taking up political films can put you into a box and even lead to backlash for the actor. However, Yami isn’t apprehensive when she signs on.

“Thinking back to the Yami who did her first film on a subject which had stigmas attached. I remember after finishing the shoot, and I was still giving auditions, they’d ask if I had done any films. I remember the reaction [I’d get when I told them]. So I started saying, ‘You will know. It’s a good film’. It’s fear which will create a layer of inhibition and pull you back from exploring your potential. I like to go with my gut. I know in my heart why I signed this film. Of course, I was aware there will be debates.”

ONLY LOVE AND RESPECT
Aditya, a proud and caring husband, brushes off a stray hair from his wife’s forehead as she talks to us. Getting candid about how she preps for her films, he says, “You can ask our director, she is extraordinary. I have been telling her, for the last five years, it shouldn’t have taken her 10 years to get where she is. If it was some [star] kid with a start like Vicky Donor, their career would’ve been at a whole other level by now.”

Hearing the heavy praise from her husband, Yami fights back tears, sniffles and says, “People say it’s pregnancy hormones, I know how much control I need right now to conceal my emotions.”