Bollywood actress Yami Gautam, who is playing a lawyer in the upcoming film Batti Gul Meter Chalu, says she never thought about the length of her role, but the substance of it.
The film features Shraddha Kapoor as the female protagonist opposite Shahid Kapoor.
“This is the first time I am playing an advocate and it is a pivotal part of a courtroom drama. So as an actress, the substance of my role matters to me more than anything else,” Gautam said.
She said she was aware of what she was signing.
“But it was never like I am signing a multi-starrer and thinking about my visibility. I loved the story, the concept of it. Being a girl from Chandigarh I know the electricity issue and how the story relates in everyone’s life,” she said.
To prepare for her character, Gautam visited the Bombay High Court.
So, did she find something very new? “Observing the body language of a lawyer and wearing the confidence on the sleeve when you are talking in the court. The clarity of thoughts, the words that you are using as a lawyer with the awareness of the impact of them is very important,” she said.
From the beginning of her career in 2011 with Vicky Donor, and with her last release Kabila opposite Hrithik Roshan, she always received a positive response for her beauty, screen presence and acting.
She will be playing a lawyer in uniform and doesn’t have the usual look of a heroine. Asked if she missed wearing elaborate clothes and make-up Gautam laughed: “But heroines are an actress, too, right?”
“And for an actress, it is a greater high to look the part of the character she plays. Yes, in this film I am wearing lawyer’s suit, but the idea is to break the image of my earlier film and present a new me to my audience,” smiled Gautam.
Directed by Shree Narayan Singh, Batti Gul Meter Chalu releases in the UAE on September 20.
