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Yami Gautam Dhar had everyone sit up and take notice when she bravely opened up about her skin condition, Keratosis Pilaris, in her post on social media recently. This is not the only time the actress spoke openly about what are perceived as “flaws” in the glamour world. In a cut-throat, competitive business like showbiz, actors are constantly pushed to try to look picture-perfect. When asked what is it that makes her want to put out pictures of herself looking raw and real (sans make-up), she says, “It comes with a certain sense of security that you feel either from the beginning or over a period of time through your experiences. The reason I have been vocal about it is because I feel that there might be other people out there who, too, are facing the same issues as me. I was surprised to see the kind of reaction I got for my post. I have read almost all the comments, and the one that caught my eye was a girl talking about how she feels pressurised with the thought that boyfriends or husbands expect their partners to be as flawless as actresses look on screen.”

Yami, who hails from Chandigarh, had to face her share of criticism for her looks when she was new to the industry, but that didn’t shake her morale. She says, “At the beginning of my career, people who I met commented on my nose or even my dimple. They felt that the placement of my dimple was a bit odd! I was also told, ‘You are pretty, but you look very ordinary.’ I would be puzzled thinking what these comments even meant. I was clueless about what I should do. I used to feel bad, but it never pushed me to a point where I thought, ‘Okay, let me change this about my face or body’.”

What kept her going was her ambition to be a part of films that allowed her to showcase her talent as an artiste. “Today when I speak about these instances, the idea is not to pull these people (filmmakers) down, but to encourage young girls who are trying to make their way into showbiz,” says the Bala actress, adding, “In the initial stages of your career if you go through such episodes, it might lead to a dent in your personality. It could make someone feel insecure about themselves. I want to tell these aspiring actors that one should never fall for such comments. Believe in your talent and keep honing your skills until you reach your goal.”

Yami says that it’s essential to support each other and accept people the way they are. “We often say, ‘Just be yourself.’ But to actually be yourself, you have to achieve a sense of security and confidence. We should strengthen each other. I feel that, in the end, it is all about acceptance. The day you accept certain things about yourself, which you have been struggling with for many years, is when you feel much lighter,” she emphasises.