As she essays a cricketer in ‘Ghoomer’, Saiyami Kher says film fights misguided notion that women can’t play the sport
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For Saiyami Kher, the biggest high of doing ‘Ghoomer’ is that it offers her the opportunity to bring her love for cricket on screen. R Balki’s sports drama sees the actor essay the role of a cricketer, with Abhishek Bachchan playing her coach. In telling the story of a sportswoman, the movie also makes a statement about how talent, not gender, determines one’s ability to play a sport, thus fighting gender bias.
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“I am a woman, and I love cricket. I find it strange that in this day and age, people are still surprised that a woman can love and understand cricket, or any other sport. Sometimes, people find it difficult to accept women watching sport or [playing it] as they are still stuck in a stereotypical world. But the reality is different. Be it Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, or Mirabai Chanu — they are fine examples of how women in different sports have made our country proud. So, this dated mentality needs to change, which I hope the film will achieve,” says Kher.
