One needs to be thick-skinned to survive in film industry: Saiyami Kher

Actor Saiyami Kher believes it is difficult to continue in the movie business if one is not strong enough to deal with failure.

Saiyami said when two of her projects didn’t take off after her Bollywood debut “Mirzya” flunked at the ticket window, she realised that it was necessary to be thick-skinned to pursue acting as a career.

“Right after ‘Mirzya’, I had two projects which were supposed to take off but they didn't. One was with Mani Ratnam and in the other project I was replaced because unfortunately ‘Mirzya’ did not do well at the box office and that's how this industry works,” Saiyami told PTI in an interview.

After making a much-talked-about debut with the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra movie alongside Bollywood star Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami stayed away from Hindi cinema.

The actor said she received quite a few offers from Bollywood but nothing excited her.

Saiyami then decided to do Marathi film “Mauli” (2018), opposite Riteish Deshmukh and took up digital projects which gave her an opportunity to play challenging parts.

“I was offered a lot of stuff but nothing that excited me, then I finally signed ‘Mauli’, my Marathi debut with Riteish, where I got to play a character no one would have imagined me in.

“Post that I shot for ‘Breathe’, an Amazon show opposite Abhishek Bachchan, ‘Special Ops’ on Disney+Hotstar with Neeraj Pandey and ‘Choked’ with Anurag Kashyap,” she added.

The actor said she approaches a script as an audience and never picks a project depending on the length of her role.

“When I read a script I read it as an audience, not just looking and waiting for my part. So with ‘Special Ops’, it was a big ensemble but I liked the script. I was excited about it so I agreed to do it. So even if it's playing a mother or playing a smaller role, I do it if it excites me,” she said.

Saiyami, a national-level badminton player, said sports helped her sail through the tough times.

“The film industry is a tough place. One needs to be thick-skinned and strong. I am blessed because I will always remain a sportsperson at heart. Sport has taught me to be patient, disciplined, and positive and a fighter, which has helped me a great deal in my short career so far.

“So even when ‘Mirzya’ didn’t work and I didn’t get the kind of work I was looking for, I took it on my chin and kept at it,” she said.

The 28-year-old actor said she utilised her free time to hone her acting skills by taking up workshops, working on her voice and watching films.

“I was working on my craft, did workshops with my theatre teachers. I read classic plays, watched films, worked on my voice. I travelled a lot as I believe travel is a big teacher for any actor.

“Besides all this, I kept busy with my fitness goals, like running marathons. Sports not only kept me in shape physically but also mentally.”

Saiyami, who is riding high on the success of Kay Kay Menon-led “Special Ops”, said she is now looking forward to the release of Anurag Kashyap’s Netflix movie “Choked”.

The film follows a hapless bank cashier whose life takes a turn when she finds a source of unlimited money choked in her own kitchen.

“Sarita is a middle-class woman. She is the sole breadwinner. She is overworked and frustrated yet tenacious and always scheming to build that ‘dream’. At one level Sarita is that every-woman.

“Nihit Bhave, our writer, has beautifully woven the complexities of this middle-class family. Working on ‘Choked’ has been a life-changing experience for me,” she said.

Also starring Rohan Mathew, “Choked” will premiere on Netflix on June 5.

Meanwhile, Saiyami is also excited to be part of Adidas' #HomeTeamHero challenge, which aims to help the frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Image credit: Instagram/@saiyami