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It is their first interview as a couple, after their wedding and the recent lovely news that HT City broke. “It’s always been with the director of our film Article 370, Aditya (Suhas Jambhale) or the promotions team, never just the two of us in person,” Aditya Dhar, who produced the film, tells us. His wife, actress Yami Gautam Dhar, walks in after two minutes and the glow is real!
TWO GOOD
It’s not just the pregnancy glow: another joint venture of theirs, i.e. political drama, has gone well. The numbers have remained stable and critics have hailed it as an important film. “We are on top of the world. We got into cinema because we wished that one day hamari film ki bhi tareef hogi, log seetiyaan bajayenge. It happened first with Uri- The Surgical Strike. and now Article 370. Seeing this kind of response in multiplexes, which usually happens on single screens… this love does not come from talent alone, it may be from the blessings of our ancestors. This film is so technical that many people put us off ‘yeh film nahi chalegi’, it also had a lot of English. But we always feel that somewhere people have this tendency, especially in our industry, to underestimate our audience,” shares Dhar.
Meanwhile, Gautam’s portrayal of an intelligence officer has garnered rave reviews. “This is true validation in its truest form. I don’t know anything about awards, with all due respect. Those applause and screams are music to our ears. This is not the first time this has happened with a film of mine or with my casting (there have been detractors). I’m sure they don’t mean anything bad, it’s just a perspective,” she says while chewing on sandwiches. “I will eat and talk, without manners or etiquette, I get the signal that I need to eat,” she laughs.
BABY ON BOARD
Aditya remembers the moment when they both found out that they were expecting. They were shooting for article 370: “We were at the hotel. Fortunately, our action parts were already finished by then. It was a truly happy moment, something I will remember for the rest of our lives. We were jumping with joy and excitement. “Now we can’t wait.” Yami chimes in: “You’re never prepared for a moment like this. You only realize it once you’re in it. You get happy when it happens to your loved ones, like when my sister was pregnant. When it happens to me I can’t stop smiling. You forget about everything and then come back to reality to plan. It is a very personal moment, we are private people. “We had to be cautious.”
The filmmaker had a panel of doctors on call 24/7 while they wrapped up filming. “But I never wanted to hold back. I wanted to have the same strength that my mother had when she was pregnant. I am very lucky to have a life partner like Aditya, he has been a great support. He is my go-to person, so I also contact him if I have any pregnancy questions. He always tries to answer it, and then one day he said to me ‘you do realize I’m not a doctor, right?’, he laughs.
Of course, it’s a happy moment when a joint collaboration hits the mark. In Yami and Aditya’s case, they met on the set of their first collaboration, Uri, and started dating. The second time they collaborated on Article 370, they are on their way to becoming parents.
IS ADITYA CHOOSING YAMI JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE MARRIED?
The fact that Aditya’s wife plays the lead role in this film would be dismissed as “obvious” by a section, because well, they are married. But Aditya surprises us when he says that they approach Yami whenever she has a topic, like he does with any other actor. “While making Uri, a lot of people called our producer Ronnie (Screwvala) and said, ‘Are you sure you want to take Vicky Kaushal as the lead, who hasn’t done big commercial films? She’s a lanky guy, that too in a war movie. ‘Everything was against. Somewhere that challenge excites us. We also wanted to get things right with Article 370. We don’t want it to be what we call in Hindi ‘chacha bhatijawaad’, ki ghar ke hain toh le lete hain. We are always professionals. It is our second production with Yami and it always goes through his manager. When we talk about advertising too, it is never on the other side of the table. Our company and our producers unanimously decided that we should go with Yami. “She has given him her heart, her soul, her blood, her sweat and her tears,” he maintains.
We add that this time there were two energies on their side making this happen, and they both start laughing.
POLITICAL FILMS: A RISK?
Yami’s choice of films has not been ordinary, from his debut Vicky Donor to Article 370 now. However, undertaking political films always carries the risk of falling into the stereotype that this actor wants to gain attention through controversial issues, and of suffering a backlash if the film fails in his intention.
However, Yami says he didn’t feel any fear before saying yes: “Today it’s easier to answer this. I am thinking of Yami that he made her first film, Vicky Donor, on a subject that he was riddled with stigma. I remember after finishing the film, he was still giving door-to-door auditions, they would ask me if he had been in front of the camera or if he had done any films. I’d say yes, I only shot one. They asked me what it was about and I told them. I remember the reaction, so I decided not to say anything. Later I started saying ‘you’ll know, it’s a good movie’. It is only that fear that will create a layer of inhibition and prevent you from exploring your true potential as a creative person. I always like to follow my instinct. I know in my heart why I signed this film. Of course I knew there were going to be debates.”
MUTUAL RESPECT
Aditya is a proud husband, who cares enough to immediately brush a stray hair off Yami’s forehead as he speaks. Aditya shares that she is thorough in preparing her for her role and opens up, “You can also ask our director, she is extraordinary. I’ve been telling him this for the last five years. It shouldn’t have taken 10 years to get here, it should have happened much sooner. If he was a film frat boy with a start like Vicky Donor, his career would have already been on another level. For her, having taken 10 years, it has been a long time, it cost her a lot.”
Yami fights hard to control her tears while Aditya finishes and sobs, “People say it’s pregnancy hormones, I know how much control I need now to hide my emotions.”