Yami Gautam reveals love story, why she married Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar: ‘He offered his chair to my stylist when…’

In a recent conversation with Humans of Bombay, Yami Gautam opened up about the time she fell for the director and the moment they decided to get married.

Speaking about what initially drew her to Aditya, Yami shared, “Aditya and I are extremely similar when it comes to work. We love to work and we just come back to a regular family at home. We were never like, ‘We need to go out, it is necessary.’ I obviously met him while working on Uri, but it was during the promotion of the film when we ‘talked-talked’ because it was five of us promoting the film and each question would be passed on to everybody. You are listening to all questions and answers and then there is suddenly one similar answer, you match the wavelength.”

She went on to praise his personality and calm demeanour, saying, “I have to say this not just as a wife but as an artiste who has worked with him, he is one of the most respected directors. And you can ask anybody from any of his films, the way he commands—not demands—commands respect is phenomenal. Shooting is an extremely stressful business, and a director’s job, whatever is said and done, becomes about management as well.”

Yami further added, “One of the most commendable things about Aditya is I have never seen him lose his cool. I still have no idea how he manages everything with that calm demeanour. He is extremely patient as a person and very solution-oriented, both as a director and in real life. Looking at all this even during Uri, I had a lot of respect for him.”

Revisiting their love story, the actress shared how organically their relationship evolved. “During promotions, we started talking and became friends. There was no ‘I am going to propose to you’ kind of moment, no filmy things—which was the best thing because I am not that kind of person. We just knew we wanted to get married. Our families were extremely aligned and they were really happy for us.”

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Yami Gautam and Aditya Dhar’s wedding came as a surprise to many, as the couple tied the knot during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the mountains, away from crowds, with only immediate family members in attendance.

Reflecting on the intimate ceremony, Yami said, “I think we would have got married the way we did even if there was no COVID. For me, to have nature’s blessings in the hills meant everything. We wanted to make it more about the rituals than anything else. We love our culture and Hindu traditions, which are beautiful. I wanted to follow the rituals and look exactly the way I did at my wedding. My mom’s saree was always there for me. I did my own makeup and hair—something I hadn’t imagined at all. I wanted to look exactly like my mom from the time she got married. There is nothing I would change about that moment.”

Post their wedding, Aditya Dhar was dubbed a “green forest” by fans after a video of him looking after Yami’s comfort during her pregnancy, while promoting Article 370, went viral online.

Addressing the chatter, Yami shared that such reactions to Aditya’s nature were nothing new to her.

“Aditya was given the crown of green forest. I strongly believe your first instinct about anyone is always going to be correct. And my first instinct about Aditya was that he is a very nice man. Everybody was talking nice things about him—my makeup artist, hair person, all of them.” She recalled a moment when Aditya saw her makeup person sitting on the floor and eating her working lunch. “He immediately offered his chair to her. No one even thinks of something like this,” she explained.

Towards the end of the conversation, Yami also spoke about Dhurandhar, co-produced by her husband’s production banner B62 Studios. The film crossed the Rs 900 crore mark within 19 days of its release. Expressing her confidence in its legacy, the actress said, “There is no closing thought on Dhurandhar. It is not your parting-away gift of 2025; it is your welcome gift of 2026. And I believe it won’t just be the film of the year, but the film of many, many years to come.”