Yami Gautam wants to play Madhubala: ‘She remains an icon’

Asked about her dream role in the biopic genre, she said Madhubala would be her go-to choice. “I had once said that I would love to portray Madhubala ji if I am asked to choose a biopic. She remains an icon. After Madhubala ji, I have two-three personalities in mind. But, I would like to first sign and then talk about any role,” she added.

Gautam, 34, was in the Kolkata city to promote Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s directorial Lost for ZEE5. The actor said as a performer, she looks for interesting projects rather than focusing on the platform.

“I am an actor first. My job is to look for the best of opportunities that I can get. I don’t find any difference between OTT and big-screen productions. That is the producer’s prerogative (for which platform the film is made) and I am doing my job as an actor, be it on OTT or big screen.”

“Bala was the last of my releases in theatres and they found their audiences,” she said about the 2019 satire, co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar.

Gautam, who is married to her Uri director Aditya Dhar, said they discuss creative ideas as two people in the same profession. “I feel happy when he feels happy that I have done a good job. He is, of course, my husband but, at the same time, a prolific director whose feedback I look forward to. So, we definitely exchange ideas,” she said.

She said one of Dhar’s forthcoming films as a writer and producer is Dhoom Dhaam, an action-comedy. “I did that film, it is a comedy and (it’s) very different from Lost,” she informed.

In Lost, Gautam plays the role of a journalist who covers crime. She is in Kolkata to look for someone. “It is an investigative thriller, an emotional human drama. It also talks about the media in today’s time… The film talks about human values, basic things in life and was shot entirely in Kolkata during the pandemic. We hope the film works.

Abhik da (cinematographer Abhik Mukhopadhyay) shot the scenes beautifully. The film has its own pace,” she said.

The actor said she gorged on local delicacies and street food during her stay in Kolkata. “I think I visited almost every known place in the city. And, I had famous street foods like ‘puchka’. I also went to Flury’s and an entire sequence was shot there,” she added.