Saiyami Kher recalls being told to ‘date an actor or director’ for an easier entry into films as she completes 10 years

Actress Saiyami Kher has opened up about her journey in cinema as she completed a decade in the film industryIn an exclusive quote shared with IANS she recalled the challenges and unsolicited advice she encountered while trying to find her footing in films Looking back Saiyami said she was a reserved and introverted young woman from Nashik with little exposure to the world of cinema and was often judged before she had the opportunity to prove herselfThe lsquoJaatrsquo actress was even labelled a ldquovillagerrdquo and faced unsolicited advice including suggestions to date an actor or director for an easier entry into the industry and to consider cosmetic procedures Speaking about completing 10 years in showbiz Saiyami said ldquoA decade since I walked onto a film set for the first time A decade of some of the most lifealtering experiences of my life I was a reserved introverted 20something girl from Nashik with barely any exposure to films I was written off before I had even begunrdquoldquoI was told I was a lsquovillagerrsquo that I didnrsquot have it in me I was given advice like lsquoDate an actordirector thatrsquos the easier way inrsquo and lsquoGet a lip jobrsquo My upbringing and my parents had given me enough security in myself to find humour in grown adults speaking to me like that I met a whole lot of people with free advice and rejection pretty much every dayrdquo she addedShe further mentioned ldquoUntil one morning Adoor Mukerji called and said Dilip Shankar would test me Something was different this time Dilip jirsquos warmth and gentleness made me realise that good people exist I spent three months workshopping with him and Adil Hussain and those three months changed me completely They taught me to be myself find truth and honesty in my work and trust that being myself was enough Six months later I was locked for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehrarsquos MirzyardquoRecalling her experience of working with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Saiyami said ldquoRakeysh sir was everything I had unknowingly been seeking A beautiful human being and a dream to work with He and Bharat marsquoam pampered me like I was their own child Sir completely spoilt me on set He gave me the freedom to be myself made me fall in love with acting and taught me little life lessons every day Every day on Mirzya felt like a day I wished would never end I found friendships that have lasted 10 yearsrdquoReflecting on her journey the lsquoGhoomerrsquo actress said ldquoI know I have a long way to go as an actor There is still so much to learn and explore And that excites me I still feel the same hunger and nervous excitement I felt on my first day of shoot I want to keep challenging myself on and off camera To be an endurance athlete in both worlds To keep showing up one kilometre at a time Herersquos to the road ahead Herersquos to the next 10rdquoSaiyami made her acting debut with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehrarsquos ldquoMirzyardquo in 2016 opposite Harshvardhan KapoorThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever