‘Had made peace with leaving’: Yami Gautam almost gave up on Bollywood before Uri and Bala | Bollywood News

4 min readNew DelhiJul 30, 2026 06:39 PM Though Yami Gautam made a successful debut with Vicky Donor in 2012, the actor faced a slump in roles soon after. In a recent interview, Yami recalled almost quitting the film industry and returning to Himachal Pradesh, right before her career turned around with back-to-back hits Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bala.
During a chat with Filmfare, Yami, who has been in the film industry for around 18 years, got candid about how her journey wasn’t very smooth after featuring in Vicky Donor opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. “Not at all. When Vicky Donor worked, I genuinely believed people would simply see me as an actor. Instead, I kept hearing that mine wasn’t a ‘conventional launch.’ I remember thinking, ‘What does that even mean?’ Apparently I hadn’t been introduced as the typical heroine,” she shared.
The actor further added, “I had played a more mature character. To me, that was exciting. Isn’t that what acting is supposed to be? But slowly you begin hearing other people’s perceptions of you more than your own. Sometimes you accept films because you have to keep moving forward, even if they aren’t the roles you truly want. You just hope someone eventually sees your potential.”
‘Life changed overnight’
In fact, Yami Gautam almost gave up before the success of her 2019 releases Bala and Uri. She said, “Just before Uri and Bala, I had made peace with leaving the industry altogether. I thought I’d return to Himachal. We have farmland there. I imagined beginning a completely different life. My parents were incredibly supportive. They simply said, ‘Come home.’ And strangely, the moment I stopped clinging to the industry out of fear, everything changed. Uri happened. Bala happened. Life changed almost overnight.”
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“Looking back, I think that’s when I learnt the biggest lesson of my career. Fear is your greatest enemy. The day I stopped saying yes because I was afraid of becoming ‘out of sight, out of mind’, I became free. I’d rather walk away than do work I don’t believe in. That decision transformed everything,” Yami added.
Acting happened accidentally
During the conversation, Yami Gautam also recalled her life before entering the world of acting. “My father keeps telling me, ‘Please stop saying this in every interview!’ But it’s true, I wanted to become an IAS officer. I was studying Law in Chandigarh, and I was a sincere student. Acting wasn’t something I openly spoke about. I simply loved films,” she said.Story continues below this ad
She continued, “I’d watch performances and quietly imagine myself playing those characters. It was a private dream more than an ambition because I never thought I’d actually have the courage to pursue it. Then, almost accident, everything changed. Family friends told me auditions were happening in Chandigarh for a television show.”
Yami Gautam’s hush-hush wedding
Yami Gautam tied the knot with filmmaker Aditya Dhar in 2021. They first met on the sets of the film Uri: The Surgical Strike. The couple welcomed their first child, a ba boy named Vedavid, in 2024.
When asked about keeping her wedding under wraps, Yami replied, “It wasn’t hush-hush at all. We simply didn’t announce it beforehand. It happened during the pandemic when gatherings were restricted. There were only about 15 immediate family members present. Everything unfolded very organically. Our families met, we spoke over the phone, and it all fell into place naturally. My nani actually said, “In our family we don’t believe in elaborate engagements. If everyone is happy, why wait?” Aditya immediately agreed. There was no dramatic proposal or grand gesture. It just felt right.”
“Neither of us wanted the wedding to become an event. We wanted it to remain what it truly was, a celebration between two families. Some of my favourite memories are the simplest ones. Doing my own make-up. Wearing my mother’s sari. Being surrounded the people who have known me long before films entered my life. Those moments mean far more to me than any extravagant celebration ever could,” she added.Story continues below this ad
On the work front, Yami Gautam will be seen next in Nayyi Navelli.