Saiyami Kher Takes Us Through Her Ghoomer Prep: 'Had To Learn Playing With One Arm' | Exclusive

Saiyami Kher sports drama Ghoomer recently premiered at one of the leading OTT platforms. The actress essayed the role of a paraplegic sportsperson, who excels as a cricketer under the guidance of her coach, played by Abhishek Bachchan. The film has been helmed by R Balki. The film also stars Angad Bedi and Shabana Azmi in pivotal roles. It was also reported that the film was inspired by the story of Karoly Takacs, the late Hungarian right-hand shooter who won two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured. 

In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Saiyami Kher discloses the challenges she faced while preparing for this movie as well as what formed the emotional conduit between her and her character Anina.

Anina’s character in Ghoomer undergoes a significant transformation, from being a batsman to a bowler. What were the most challenging aspects of portraying this transformation on screen?

Physically, the most challenging aspect was initially becoming a left-hander since I am naturally right-handed. I had to learn to play cricket with my non-dominant hand. Also, I had to learn playing with just one arm, all while mastering the unique Ghoomer action. Besides that, living life with one arm, waking up doing everything with just one arm. We shot the final match in the peak of summer to add to the other challenges. So physically there was lots to do which was challenging but I thought that was still simpler than the emotional graph of the character.

Anina’s accident has had a profound impact on her life and dreams. Can you share how you emotionally connected with the character during the challenging moments?

This has been one of the most emotionally exhausting experiences for me in terms of the roles I’ve taken on. It has truly drained me, as I’ve never encountered anything quite as traumatic in my life. Consequently, I had to dig deep within myself to portray this character. Besides that, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with many para-athletes and understand their journey. I think that helped me the most in my journey of becoming Anina.

Ghoomer is now streaming on Zee5.