Saiyami Kher on her journey from ‘junglee’ girl who’d bash up boys to Ghoomer: ‘Athlete image didn’t go with what conventional heroine was meant to be’

“If you had told me a few years ago, that I’d wake up reading the praise which I’ve received for Ghoomer, I would have never believed you. I didn’t have that faith in myself, leave alone anyone else instilling it in me. It’s hard to explain what this film means to me. I was the junglee girl who would bash up boys in school. Who could eat grilled chicken every day. Who aspired to be ambidextrous, because my icon, Sachin Tendulkar was.

“Who would spend hours in my parent’s restaurant trying to make a Rumali roti fly in the air. Whose life revolved around her grandmother. Whose most prized possession was a store-bought Indian cricket jersey. Who hoped that someday, she wouldn’t need to buy it. And that, maybe, one day, it would bear her name. Sadly, that magical moment never came for me,” she wrote.

Saiyami Kher said her “athlete” image didn’t go with what a “conventional heroine” was meant to be and thanked Balki for offering her Ghoomer– which gave her a platform to showcase her craft and break some myths.

“But I did what I could to create glimpses of that magic in my life. When I was batting, running, swimming, or smashing a shuttle, I was happy. We can’t pour from an empty cup. So I filled it up to the brim with sport. This ‘athlete’ image didn’t go with what a conventional ‘heroine’ was meant to be.

“Instead of filling the cup, I was told to empty the vessel out of everything it contains. How do I become someone else if I am still holding on to what I am? So pour it all out. And Balki gave me that. This film has my blood, sweat, tears, and heart. Anina is me, I am Anina. The palindrome extends beyond just a play on the name.”

Saiyami also credited filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who worled with her in his directorial Choked for bringing back her confidence and providing her with “logic” and Balki for filling her life up with “magic” by giving her “once in a lifetime opportunity” like Ghoomer.

“To AB who taught me kindness. To Shabana Maushi who showed me the importance of family. And to Angad, my first friend in the industry; thank you. To spending a year with one hand tied up. And to realizing that we’re stronger than what we think we think we are. To believing in oneself. To Ghoomer,” she added.

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