Yami Gautam on experiencing mom guilt: My mum told me not to let this sentiment hover me round

Yami Gautam Dhar became a mother in May 2024 to son Vedavid, and within just nine months after having him, the actor was back to the grind this month promoting her film Dhoom Dhaam. Ask her about getting back to her work postpartum so soon and Yami Gautam Dhar says, “I don't under underline this fact because I don't want any benchmarks. Having experienced childbirth, I can tell it is one of the most difficult things humanly that you can experience and endure. While, of course, it's beautiful but at the same time it’s challenging, especially the postpartum, so to each his own. Everyone's body, everyone's healing process could be absolutely different.”

There is this feeling of mom guilt that is associated with working mothers. But Yami doesn’t feel that and she credits it to the support system she has around. “I come from a family of strong woman. One of the strongest women I know was my nani. She was extremely progressive, and my mum was the first person to tell me as a mother herself that ‘Yami, do not ever let this sentiment ever hover you around, because you have worked hard all your life. You’ve been an independent girl and there is nothing in this world that should stop you from achieving and working how you want to’,” she shares, adding, “I just love that she’s like, 'Never ever tell yourself I can't do this because I'm a mother now. That's a blessing in your life, enjoy it as a blessing. Never ever take it in other way or let anybody else around you make you feel that’.”

A protective mother, the actor admits that she won’t let Vedavid get papped soon. “Of course you won't see him getting papped. We've come to a point with the media where they are understanding of it. Anyway, for minors under 18, laws are becoming a little stricter to respect a child’s privacy, because it's important for their growth. These foundation years are so crucial and having camera all around you or being out there in public, that's not something which we are comfortable with,” she insists.

Yami admits that after becoming a mother, her priorities changed and she slowed down where it was needed, but her husband, filmmaker Aditya Dhar has been standing with her all this while, making it all easy. “Aditya is a hands-on father and he's always there for me. He says, ‘you’ve worked so hard to reach where you have and your baby will be only happy and proud of his mother eventually when he'll watch his parents’ work’,” she says.

Having come back to work, the actor also thanks filmmakers who waited for her during her maternity break: “They had been waiting for me since I was expecting. I told them that they can go ahead and make this film with someone else. But they were very sure that they were going to wait for that comfortable time for me without straining myself physically while maintaining my personal life. I'm very fortunate I’ve come to a point where I can collaborate with such creative people who are willing to take that gamble with me. That's a very big responsibility.”