Yami Gautam was born on November 28, 1988, in Himachal Pradesh, and was brought up in Chandigarh. While she aspired to pursue IAS as a young girl, her aspirations changed when she turned 20 and decided to become an actor. (All pictures/Yami Gautam's Instagram account)

Yami soon moved to Mumbai to fulfil her dreams of becoming an actor. She got her big break on television when she acted in the TV show Chand Ke Paar Chalo followed by Raajkumar Aaryyan. Yami earned a name for herself as an actress to watch out for thanks to her role in the show Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam.

Yami's debut Bollywood role, and a breakthrough one at that, was Ashima Roy in the 2012 film Vicky Donor, which also starred Ayushmann Khurrana. But it wasn't just Bollywood that Yami Gautam was eyeing. The actress also made her Kannada, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil debuts within a span of four years!

Pictured: Do you remember Yami as Ashima Roy from Vicky Donor?

Vicky Donor earned Yami a lot of adulation and love from the audience and critics alike. She even won awards like Rising Film Star From TV and Most Entertaining Actor (Film) Debut - Female for her performance. Other popular films that Yami was part of were Total Siyapaa, Action Jackson, Badlapur, Sanam Re, Kaabil, Sarkar 3, and Batti Gul Meter Chalu.

Did you know Yami Gautam loves animals? In fact, Yami was roped in by international organisation WWF to be the voice and face of their campaign for the betterment and awareness for sniffer dogs. Speaking about it, Yami said, "I'm really happy that WWF and I collaborated on this unique and admirable initiative. I'm happy that I've been part of this campaign which helps bring forth the amazing work these lovely four-legged friends of ours do to help curb illegal trading."

Pictured: Yami Gautam with her pet pooch, Polo.

Yami Gautam shares a close bond with her parents and siblings. She has a younger sister, Surilie, and a younger brother, Ojas. Surilie, too, is an actress and was seen in the TV show Meet Mila De Rabba and the Punjabi film Power Cut.

Pictured: A young Yami Gautam with her mum Anjali, Surilie and Ojas.

Isn't this photo of Yami with her baby brother adorable? Yami loves her family to bits and also likes spending time with them during festivals. In a recent interview with IANS, she had shared, "Diwali is family time for me ever since I was a little girl. Every year I like to dedicate these few days to my family, spend time being pampered by my parents and siblings, away from the hustle-bustle of the city..."

She added, "My hometown brightens up during the festive season and just being there with everyone makes me feel assured that home is never far away."

Pictured: Baby Yami with mum Anjali.

Some time ago, Yami Gautam was embroiled in a controversy revolving around her choice of advertisements. The actress was trolled for being the face of a popular fairness cream. In an interview with IANS, however, Yami shared, "Social media and films have only highlighted what exists around us over the ages. It is the reason those ad-films were made back then..."

Pictured: Yami with her dad, Mukesh Gautam.

She added, "The definition of beauty was such back then, that having a fair complexion was important for a girl to get a good groom or a good job. I am so glad that times have changed, and a dialogue has started on the definition of beauty. Nowadays, in ads, we don't talk about fairness, but glowing skin. That is how brands should evolve."

Yami Gautam is extremely close to her younger sister Surilie and her Instagram feed has countless pictures of them together just hanging out and having a good time.

Yami had taken up pole dancing recently to up her fitness routine. She shared, "The whole idea came because of my love for fitness and dance and that is something I enjoy doing now. Pole dancing is a great way to work on your fitness ability and your dance. It challenges the fitness level a lot more."

Another role after Vicky Donor and Kaabil that Yami became well-known for was the one in the 2019 Vicky Kaushal-starrer Uri: The Surgical Strike. Yami played Pallavi Sharma, an undercover intelligence agent in the film. Uri did excellent business at the box office and the performances of all the actors were hailed by the audience and critics.

Yami Gautam was last seen in Bala, which also starred Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in pivotal roles. In a chat with mid-day, Yami spoke about working on the film; she said, "I didn't have to study the material as much as I had to internalise it. I discovered the part as I went along. I had no reference point for my character and everything had to be worked upon based on my discussion with Amar [Kaushik, director], and his vision. Reading the script over and over again helped me prepare for the part."

Bala follows the story of a young man suffering from premature balding and a dark-skinned small-town girl.

Yami Gautam's latest film, Ginny Weds Sunny, releases today, October 9, on Netflix. Directed by Puneet Khanna, the film is a romantic comedy-drama that also stars Vikrant Massey. Speaking about the film, Yami wrote on Instagram, "This film has been toughest for me for health reasons... no song shoot in #GINNYwedsSUNNY went without giddiness & feeling weak but it's my constant support system which kept me going strong & made sure I never feel low even for a fraction of a second."

Here's wishing Yami and the team of Ginny Weds Sunny all the best!