Yami Gautam Says Nayyi Navelli’s Mohini Is a Carefree Turn

Yami Gautam Dhar has made a career of playing guarded, often intense women on screen. With Nayyi Navelli, she is asking audiences to meet a different Yami—looser, funnier and more physically free. The fantasy family entertainer arrives in theatres on October 16.

A perfect bahu with a witchy twist

Directed by Balaji Mohan, Nayyi Navelli follows Mohini, a newly married woman who walks into a chaotic Meerut household and slowly brings a sense of peace. That harmony does not last. Her brother-in-law starts to suspect that the seemingly ideal daughter-in-law could actually be a daayan, or witch.

The project is backed by Amazon MGM Studios and Colour Yellow Productions, and features Adinath Kothare, Mita Vashisht, Sonal Jha and Sunita Rajwar in key roles.

Letting go of the control

For Yami, the character offered a clear shift. “I think audiences will see a side of me that is lighter, more spontaneous and a lot more playful,” she told Filmfare. “There’s much more comedy, mischief and physicality in Mohini.”

The actor explained that the role gave her permission to stop planning so carefully. It was about responding in the moment, a change she described as refreshing.

The music, the moves and the mischief

Dancing became one of the ways Yami found Mohini’s energy. She credited G V Prakash Kumar’s music as playful and infectious, and said Vijay Ganguly’s choreography pulled that quality to the surface. For an actor who often plays restrained characters, it was a rare chance to let loose.

What she enjoyed most was the comedy. Mohini’s humour, Yami said, works on instinct. The funniest beats come from not overthinking and allowing reactions to stay unexpected.

• Comedy and mischief: The role adds physicality and spontaneity Yami’s fans rarely see from her.
• Music: G V Prakash Kumar’s score gives Mohini a playful, lively core.
• Movement: Vijay Ganguly’s choreography turns that energy into dance.

“I feel like Mohini brought out a much more carefree, uninhibited side of me,” Yami said, “and I hope audiences have fun discovering that side too.”

With Nayyi Navelli, Yami also joins a slate of fantasy comedies that use the supernatural as a family story rather than a horror event. The daayan suspicion gives the film its conflict, but the draw is the lightness Yami describes—comedy, dance and a lead performance built on instinct.

Source: Filmfare

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#Balaji Mohan#Bollywood#daayan#Fantasy Film#Film release#Nayyi Navelli#Yami Gautam