The recent Netflix release, Dhoom Dhaam, has been enjoyed by everyone since it’s release on Valentine’s Day as a new twist to romance. In a frank and informal tete-a-tete, I interacted with leading lady Yami Gautam Dhar and hero Pratik Gandhi at the Netflix office.
Excerpts from the interview.
How much has parenthood changed (husband and co-producer and writer) Aditya’s and your approach to work?
Yami Gautam: As a parent, you instinctively go out of the way in every manner possible to protect your child. Yet at the same time one must be aware and present audio-visually at work most of the time as that is the nature of our job. The art of how you balance work and parenthood is something you learn with time.
Aditya and I never had any kind of major difference here on our views regarding this, as we both had to be on the same page. At the same time, parenthood could not become an excuse for anything coming in the way of work. I look at motherhood as a blessing, and balancing personal and professional life takes immense hard work, and that’s what makes it more interesting.
You have named your son Vedavid. That’s a very unusual name.
Yami: Aditya thought of it after we went through lots of names. We are both spiritual and come from traditional families and wanted something linked to our Vedas. The name means someone who is very well-versed with them.
What is challenging about comedies, Pratik?
Pratik: A scene has to work in a comedy at multiple levels—on paper, when I perform it, in the editing…that’s why I find comedies very challenging and ussi mein bahut mazaa aata hai(that is what is really fun)!
Both of you have an unusually good record of late. Pratik, with Madgaon Express, Do Aur Do Pyaar and Agni, you were the most versatile actor in 2024 among everyone. And Yami, your track-record for years has been excellent. Would you say all this is a conscious choice or plain luck?
Pratik: (Grins) That’s a big comment. Thank you!
Yami: It is a conscious effort. I think that luck is when you are ready for the opportunity. I firmly believe that there is a power watching and protecting us. Ek line hai ki (there is a saying that) good comes out of evil, and if it doesn’t, that is even better. There was a time when I was just looking for opportunities and wouldn’t have much to contribute to interviews. When asked if I was choosy or picky, I did not have the courage to say that I want to make more movies but I was not getting what I wanted. Ultimately, it is the value of my choices. I do value PR, but it cannot supersede and must be in sync with my body of work.
And I think that we actors are literally the projections of our writers and directors, though we may have our own expectations and interpretations. Good writing needs time and encouragement, but we can never bypass this foundation or neev. If that’s not right, no fancy design will work and a film becomes a mere project then. You must see Aditya at work, constantly wanting to improvise and improve. The way he keeps writing and writing and thinking is insane! And actresses like Sridevi ma’am are timeless because their great and diverse work comes from writing.
How real would you say your character of Veer is, Pratik?
Pratik: He’s not real at all! I agree that the reference points come from the intensity of an individual. But we are narrating a story in which we all have to come to one conclusion about the fantasy element, and that sets the sur (tone) for the whole film. There are so many examples in other movies where a scene works on its own but you feel that it belongs to some other film, and it puts you off as it does not follow the tone!
And Yami, are you the natural choice for all your husband’s productions?
Yami (Laughs): Why should that be? Today, the definition of a star is flaky with social media coming in. There are a very few names that can be called stars, as every actor is literally dependent from one Friday to another. Times have changed. Now if I do not have a vanity-based image, but if there is performance and substance in it, and if I manage to prove myself with my choices and the films too do well then it is perhaps my silent way of saying, “This is what I want to do!” But Aditya will only cast me if the role fits.
And I have watched Aditya as director on URI—The Surgical Strike. I have seen how if an actor thinks ‘A’ and Aditya wants to take him to ‘Zee’, how he can do that without the actor becoming conscious about his perspective. He has a truly creative mind. The kind of filmography I had when he signed me then was more in the damsel in distress zone, and he broke that pattern, which is a tendency he has even with other actors. He likes to write a scene and then do it differently.
Pratik and Yami, what are your takeaways from each other?
Pratik: Yami’s process is very organic and genuine. She is open to interpret a scene in different ways with the same “unsurity”, to coin a term, and a “Let me try!” attitude. She is ever ready to explore and experiment.
Yami: The beauty of working with Pratik is that he thinks about the entire scene and not about himself. He is phenomenal as an actor, but there is a difference between a good actor and a good co-actor! He is also very patient, very attentive, and a team player.
You are still doing theater, Pratik.
Pratik: Yes! Theater has given me everything as an actor and also guided me about how I look at the world and at myself. A Sachin Tendulkar might have scored 200 centuries, but he would still do net practice, right? So I too go back to theater and challenge myself. Am I able to do scenes minus retakes? Every year my age increases, so I am selfish and want to better myself.
Yami, you abuse a lot in the film.
Yami (Laughs): I have never used cusswords in real life. So I told Aditya I will not say them! But he explained, “It’s not you but your character Koyal who is doing it.” At first, I just moved my lips silently, but my director said that it wasn’t working. But in the end, he told me that I was very convincing, even though he kept insisting, “One more!” “One more!” on the takes! I just wanted to get it done with, and done well!” But now, all is fine, because I just mouth the abuses and they are masked with music.
How do you choose your roles now?
Yami: The story, my role, is the character new or has it come to me because because something similar of mine has worked, and my director. These are the three pillars that are sacred.
(Used with permission)
