Saiyami Kher is over the moon as her latest release, Ghoomer has become the talk of the town with her performance being lauded as her career best. In the last few years Saiyami has been on an uprising of having committed herself to performance oriented roles and working with maverick filmmakers. From Anurag Kashyap’s Choked to R Balki’s Ghoomer, the actress has proved her mettle as a versatile performer.
Saiyami essays the role of Anina, a determined athlete who due to an unfortunate accident loses her right arm, finds strength again to become a history-defying sportsperson. Both the audiences and critics alike have lauded her earnest performance which is one of the most physically and emotionally demanding roles taken on by an actor to play a paraplegic sportsperson. The film has one of the highest IMDb approval ratings of the year currently with a 9.6 score of 10. For Saiyami one of the most pivotal appreciation came in the form of a handwritten letter and flowers from the legend himself, Amitabh Bachchan. Saiyami took to social media, sharing the letter which expressed, “In admiration – your grit, your sincerity, your level headed performance and the brilliance of your presence in Ghoomer. May the accolades never diminish for you” said Big B in the letter.
Saiyami was clearly emotional having received the letter, she said on social media, “I remember seeing a short film called “Looking for Amitabh” on how the visually challenged perceive this icon. From describing his trademark baritone to the sound of his shoes, or the scent of his perfume. We don’t even see Mr. Bachchan, but we can experience the impact created by this superstar. As a kid, the signature KBC tune meant it was bedtime. My parents would come back from work. And my grandparents would finish up their chores. Despite our diverse interests and age gaps, this one show brought three generations together.
If there was a contestant who gushed over Mr. Bachchan, Aiedu, my grandmom would sit preening about him. She did this until her last breath. He was after all from her part of the country. Any compliment to him obviously meant a compliment to her. He represented the heartlands of our country. He represented the fulfillment of dreams. He represented hope.
Since I began acting, there have been many ups and downs. There were so many people who brushed me off telling me I was “hopeless”. But I tried keeping my head above the water. While every rejection hurt, every rejection also made me work harder. I’ve always kept everything bottled up. At the premiere of Ghoomer in Melbourne, everybody was sobbing. “Show some emotion Kher saab”, AB said as he hugged me after our standing ovation. But I stood there seemingly zen about everything. In reel life I can cry buckets, in real life, you will never know how I’m feeling.
Yesterday, as I sat at home pondering my fate, someone rang the doorbell. There was a bouquet of flowers and a handwritten note. My heart skipped a beat. Is this what I think it is? THE stamp of approval which every actor in this country dreams of? 1 looked up to the skies and finally bawled, “Look what this is, Aiedu.”
