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

Actor Saiyami Kher believes it is difficult to continue in movie business if one is t strong eugh to deal with failure.

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

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

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

actor said she received quite a few offers from Bollywood but thing excited her.

Saiyami n 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 thing that excited me, n I finally signed ‘Mauli’, my Marathi debut with Riteish, where I got to play a character one would have imagined me in.

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

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

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

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

“ 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 kind of work I was looking for, I took it on my chin and kept at it,” she said.

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 atre teachers. I re 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 t only kept me in shape physically but also mentally.”

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

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 sole brewinner. 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 complexities of this middle-class family. Working on ‘Choked’ has been a life-changing experience for me,” she said.

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

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

Im credit: Instagram/@saiyami