Saiyami Kher

Actress Saiyami Kher, who portrayed the paraplegic sportsperson in “Ghoomer,” said she doesn’t give much importance to the social media validation, revealing her influences that have shaped her acting career. With an inspiring storyline, the movie features a stellar cast of Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Saiyami Kher, Angad Bedi and a special appearance by Amitabh Bachchan. In “Ghoomer,” Saiyami plays Anina Dixit, a talented cricketer whose dreams are shattered by a tragic accident leading to the loss of her right arm. Paddy (played by Abhishek), a former test cricketer, becomes her coach and helps her become the first-ever one-armed spinner, propelling her to play for the Indian national team.

Is social media validation important for the 29-year-old actress? Saiyami told IANS: “I don’t give much importance to social media validation. I take it with a pinch of salt -- the love and hatred. The validation I look for is within my friends and family.” “I also talk about Anurag Kashyap and R. Balki sir, they are like family. So the validation I look upto is of my directors, close friends and family, and my two acting coaches, who I always go to. So if they don’t like what I do then it really hurts,” said the ‘Choked’ actress.

She further said: “I don’t really look at social media so much. But of course I try to improve things when I read social media comments, and I am told certain things. I look at it, try to improve but it doesn’t bother me too much.” What trend does she dislike in the industry? Saiyami said: “This constant trend to wear new clothes to red carpets, and being dressed up at the airport and gyms, this is a trend which is going on for sometime, and I have never been a fan of it. I hope this trend dies down sooner or later.”

Opening up on the influences that have shaped her acting career, the “Mirzya” fame actress told IANS: “Adil Hussain and Dilip Shankar are the influences that have shaped me. They are my coaches. I have admired Shabana Azmi a lot.”

“My influence would be life. Life teaches you the most when you are an actor. You need to travel, explore and experience,” she added. “Ghoomer” shows how people can win over tough times and get another shot at success beating all odds. Helmed by R Balki, “Ghoomer” is produced by Hope Film Makers and Saraswati Entertainment. It is streaming on Zee5. Meanwhile, Saiyami is all set to join hands with Neeraj Pandey once again after “Special Ops” for an action thriller. This new collaboration promises to elevate the action genre to greater heights, with Saiyami at the forefront.  Said a source: “The project is expected to go on floors by the end of this year. And is a quintessential Neeraj Pandey action thriller. Saiyami has dabbled into this genre twice before, so it’s familiar territory for her.  “The pre-production is currently on and the shooting will take place in Mumbai largely.”

Indo-Asian News Service