TV happened by fluke, says actress Gayathiri Iyer

How has your journey been so far?

It’s been around six years of my career. I started with Kannada films and gradually went on to do Tamil, Telugu and now Hindi films as well. I would say as an actor I am always greedy for better opportunities. Currently during lockdown, I am meeting people over Zoom calls and listening to scripts. Taking care of myself and my family is top priority now.

You have also done a TV show called Haiwaan. So, will TV take a backseat now?

Television happened by fluke. I was doing an AltBalaji show which was initially titled Family and later on renamed as Cartel but that got scrapped. I was offered Ragini but I respectfully turned down the project as I was not comfortable with certain scenes. Then I was offered this show Haiwaan where I played a negative role. In fact, I have won an award for it.

What have you learnt from the pandemic?

Life is precious. We used to run after fame, money, fancy houses only to realise what is actually important to us. Last year during the lockdown, I was all alone in Mumbai as there were no flights. This pandemic brought me closer to my family and I am happy that I am with my parents right now.

How has lockdown affected you?

Last year was bad and this year also the scene is not great. Vaccination is the only option and we should all opt for that. Then we can all definitely go back to our sets.

What’s the lockdown talent you discovered?

I gave myself a lot of time and did Yoga, meditation and also Hola Hoops. I also did a lot of dance practice.

How do you see the OTT space as an actor?

It has taken over theatre space and no one could imagine that. People used to look down on OTT but now the A list actors are also working on this platform. I guess necessity is the mother of all inventions.

How do you unwind yourself?

Dance. That’s my only stress-buster. I miss going to my dance classes. And of-course yoga keeps me fit.

Tell us about your next project…

I have a web series titled Panchatantra lined up .