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Known for her unique looks and impeccable fashion sense, actor Saiyami Kher shares that her fashion mantra is all about comfort. “I have always believed in keeping things comfortable. What has evolved in my style is probably the way I have learnt to do make up and taken interest in it. But with my clothes, I have always believed in keeping it classic and comfortable. As long you are comfortable inside, you look confident outside,” she says.
Not one to be restrained by trends, Saiyami adds, “I have never been a fashion conscious person who follows trends. I am somebody who would rather start a trend, than follow one. I believe in prioritising comfort and that resonates in the kind of fashion choices I make.” The actor reveals that her fashion idol is veteran actor Waheeda Rehman and calls her a “classic and timeless beauty”.
Saiyami reveals that she grew up on sports and being a little tom-boyish, so the vanity of the film industry hit her slowly. “I used to be in my shorts and tank tops most of the times. But our profession is such that we can’t go on a red carpet in shorts. You need to wear a dress and that is a process that now I enjoy doing,” she asserts.
While her unique features make her stand out, Saiyami was initially made to feel the need to change them: “When I was starting off, there were people who liked my uniqueness but there were also some who didn’t. I was told to get straight hair, a lip job and other jobs done to fit the factory mould. But fortunately for me, there were a lot of people who liked my uniqueness, and I ended up working with more of those people.” She adds that even the people who have been styling her through her career, have taken into account her personality and ‘non-quintessential actor looks’ while making her be her most presentable. The actor insists that while the support of people around her has been instrumental in her growth, her self-confidence has been her best accessory: “I have always been very secure in my skin, so I never battled the doubts over my looks. I am blessed to have got the looks I did.”
The 32-year-old made her acting debut in 2016 with filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirzya. She calls it “a dream launch for any actor” as it had Mehra returning after Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2011), writer Gulzar coming back after 18 years and actor Anil Kapoor’s son Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor making his debut opposite her. “But unfortunately, it didn’t do well at the box office. So, I wasn’t getting any work after that,” she says, adding that it was filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s Choked that changed things for her.
The actor says, “The perception about me in the industry changed after Choked. Up until then, I wasn’t taken seriously as an actor, but after the film, the kind of offers that came to me were very performance-oriented, be it Parched, Ghoomer or 8AM Metro.” At the mention of Ghoomer, she insists it was the “best experience of my life”. She adds, “I am a complete sports fanatic, and I was a sportsperson before I started acting. So, to play a para cricketer on screen was my dream role. Credit to (filmmaker) R Balki sir as big producers and directors like to back big actors, but he felt I could pull the role more authentically and he chose me. Physically and emotionally, it was the most demanding film I have done. It has been a great step up for me. When I started my career, I wanted to be recognised as an actor, and I feel glad that I have got that recognition from directors like Anurag Kashyap and R Balki.”
So, what’s next on her radar? “The truth is that I haven’t been offered any commercial film where I can sing and dance. I do hope filmmakers see me in the commercial light as well as I would love to do those parts. I have grown up on such films where heroines are dancing in chiffon sarees in Switzerland. I would love to do an out-and-out commercial film,” she ends.
