EXCLUSIVE: Saiyami Kher on Ghoomer’s TV premiere, “TV telecasts are super important, the film unfortunately didn’t release at the best time theatrically”

Filmmaker R Balki’s Ghoomer received a lot of acclaim when it released in theatres last year. The film is about a para athlete cricketer played by Saiyami Kher who defies all odds to emerge victorious in life. Abhishek Bachchan played her coach and someone who had a large contribution in her character’s triumph.Ghoomer is now all set to have its television premiere on Zee Cinema on June 30 at 8 pm. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Saiyami reasoned why TV telecasts are important even in the OTT era. “I feel it’s super important because there is a whole generation and a whole part of society that (watch films on TV),” she said. “I remember a lot of my relatives keep asking about a movie, ‘TV var kadhi yenaar aahe (When will it come on TV)?’ Even our current generation will watch a film on repeat because it’s coming on television. So I feel there is a very big audience that we will be hopefully tapping on.”Sharing the importance of Ghoomer in her filmography, Saiyami said, “The film is very close to my heart. I want it to reach to as many people as possible. And Zee Cinema is a channel which is so widely watched. I keep saying that this is the most special film I have done in my life so far because I love the game and it was not only physically very challenging to play a para athlete but I feel the emotional journey of the character was extremely demanding. It was a dream role that I was searching for a very long time.”The actress said that the biggest physical challenge was to do things with just one hand. “My right hand was tied up for 10-12 hours of shoot. Then I learnt to cook with one hand, I used to drive. I would pretty much do all activities with one hand. Then I had to learn to play cricket with a left hand. I am not a lefty in real life. So doing that was a big challenge in itself. Usually people learn a sport for a film with the normal natural hand, but I had to learn it with the opposite hand,” she said.Saiyami admires R Balki for he always comes up with topics we least expect. “Balki sir is someone who I have always admired because he has made films that have always impacted society in a very positive way,” she said. “People openly discussing sanitary pads and periods happened in our country because of Balki sir’s Padman. He is very evolved. He is one of my most favourite filmmakers I have worked with. I am very lucky to have worked with someone so intelligent.”She added, “He always thinks out-of-the-box. He doesn’t like following any trends or what the world does. He is a trendsetter himself. And I really genuinely do hope that I get to work with him again because he is such a delight to work with.”Before Ghoomer, Saiyami had acted alongside Abhishek Bachchan in the web series Breathe. She believes that it was important to have the rapport beforehand because of the characters they played in the film. “We needed to be very comfortable with each other,” she said. “He really makes sure that everybody on the set is very comfortable. He is so funny. He has that straight face humour. He is intelligent and well-read about so many things. He is also very prepared as an actor. Woh baatein kum karte hain, aur kaam zyada karte hain. He lets his work speak. I really admire that about him.”Ghoomer released last year in theatres at a time when the Sunny Deol starrer Gadar 2 was creating havoc at the box office. Saiyami acknowledged that it wasn’t the best time for the film to release in cinemas. “It, unfortunately, didn’t have the best release time theatrically. But the response for the film has been really overwhelming and unreal. There have been so many repeat viewers for the film. It’s a film made with all heart,” she said.Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Saiyami Kher on India’s chances in T20 World Cup Final, “We know South Africa doesn’t like pressure games”