Yami Gautam opens up on favourite Holi celebrations from her childhood, what festive traditions she hopes to pass on to her child, and the success of Article 370.
Holi has always been a special festival for Yami Gautam. The actress has extremely fond memories of the festival from her childhood when she would celebrate it with her friends and family. “TThe fondest memory is from when we were kids, which is all about being playful, innocent, it's harmless,” the actress says in a candid chat with DNA. As Yami awaits the birth of her first child with husband – filmmaker Aditya Dhar – the actress talks about her favourite Holi memories, the celebrations this year, and more.
Ask her about her fondest Holi memories and she talks about the days when she would play colour with her friends from her neighbourhood as a kid. “We didn't need anything fancy, we didn't need any music, we would just be looking forward to who's going to start the colouring and that was really fun,” she recalls, adding, “ Of course, our mom would not send us without oiling hair and faces. I don't think there was any concept of organic Holi colours at that time. So some of the colours would leave some stains even after wash. But we didn't really care about it at that time. Then of course, we would come back home in intervals and bingeing on Gujiyas and I'll never forget that taste.”
Given that she is expecting, Yami says this Holi will be quieter but will be celebrated in the same spirit. She says, “Of course, we won't be stepping out but the tradition goes on of wishing our deity, our Mata and putting the first Holi colour on her, and offering Gujiyas as Prasad. This year it’s going to be Maharashtrian delicacy. I'm really looking forward to that.”
Yami says that the warmth Indian festivals bring means that even if one doesn’t go out and celebrate, they feel a part of it. “The spirit is absolutely the same. I think that's the beauty of Indian festivals. They bring so much joy and that warmth is always there in the air. It's about celebrating their essence and just being happy,” she says.
Holi, like other Indian festivals, is about celebrating traditions. And Yami says she would want to pass these traditions and rituals on to her child when they arrive into the world. The actress tells us, “I think as a parent you always want your child to grow up in the same traditions and rituals and customs that we did. At least Aditya and I would want that, because it was very personal to each and every family. So, whatever we have grown up on observing and following and respecting, we hope to pass it on ahead. So for Holi, as I said, before playing we offer the first colour to our deity and then offer Prasad and then wish all the elders. I hope that in future when our child or anybody from that future generation comes of age, they're there able to enjoy it in the same spirit and essence and with that same innocence that we got to enjoy.”
The year has already been festive for Yami as her last release – Article 370 – her first as solo lead, has been a success at the box office and earned critical acclaim as well. Talking about it, she says, “The success of Article 370 will remain with us, stay with me for a very long time not only because of the box office success, but also more so because of the respect that it garnered. I think that's something which I really value and it's not easy to earn. I'm so thankful to our audience for making it a success. It was a first in many ways. A film of that genre, and the kind of character I got to portray, I feel playing Zuni Haksar was a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.”
Article 370 marked a lot of firsts for both Yami and her husband Aditya, who produced the film. She says, “It was my first film as a solo theatrical, and the first film for Aditya and his brother Lokesh as producers. The success of a film like Article 370 actually reflects on kind of on the fact that the audience is really intelligent. The onus is on us to keep making to keep making path breaking films or pushing creative boundaries and thinking out of the box by giving something new to the audience regularly.”
The actress says that the success of a film like Article 370, or others in the same milieu, has been possible because of the efforts of generations of actresses before her. “But the credit goes to generations of actresses for us to be able to get these opportunities today and hopefully open doors for more actresses for better & well written opportunities," says Yami, adding, "I have always looked up to actors from Smita ji to Sridevi ji as to how they paved such a strong path. And even back in the day with Waheeda ji, Nargis ji, Madhubala ji, Meena Kumar ji, Nutan ji, who did it at a time when I believe these conversations weren’t even discussed.”
But she hopes that the term ‘female-led film’ will be a relic of the past soon. Yami explains, “As an actor, I'll always feel that it's the script, it's the film that the audience wants to experience versus being a ‘woman or a female-led’ film. I'm sure this term shall wither away soon.” She signs off with her one hope for the industry: "Always in hope for a brighter and more substantial future for actors and cinema!"
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 "Yami Gautam talks about Holi")
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