Though Yami Gautam has made it big in Bollywood, the Kannada audience will always remember her for her role in Ullasa Utsaha, opposite Ganesh. “I had a good experience working with Ganesh back then. I had no clue about the kind of stardom he has in the state. He looks the same even now. If I get a story or role that excites me, I will definitely do a Kannada film,” she says. 

Yami recalls how the Kannada film took her career a notch higher and made her consider her profession seriously. “An actor always wants to give her best to the audience and explore the best version of herself. However, for someone like me, there’s a need to find my own path. The first step for me was Ullasa Utsaha. I remember watching the film in Bengaluru with my mother, and at that moment, I realised that I'm here to stay,” she says.

Her recent film Uri: The Surgical Strike has been the biggest box office hit of the year so far. “Uri was an honest attempt. The love and appreciation it has received worldwide are very endearing. It’s been more than fifty days, but the tweets and messages haven’t ceased.” 

While box-office success gives actors a high, Yami believes earning respect matters more. “Uri got me respect. As an actor, it is challenging to explore a different kind of story. However, when the end product is appreciated, the experience is rewarding.” 

Talking about future projects, the actor shares that she has signed a film, but will wait for the official announcement from the production house. Yami signs off saying she hasn't taken a sabbatical from the South and is just taking it one film at a time.