Saiyami Kher, who is making her debut with the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra-directed Mirzya opposite Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor, comes from an illustrious film family. Saiyami’s paternal grandmother is 1950s actress Usha Kiron (who played Dev Anand’s heroine in the 1953 hit Patita) and her aunt is National Award-winning actress Tanvi Azmi. Through her aunt, Saiyami is also related to Shabana Azmi.
But the newcomer insists that her family background did not play any part in her bagging Mirzya. Saiyami reveals with a laugh: “They didn’t know I was auditioning for Mirzya! Someone called up my aunt (Tanvi) and told her that your niece is doing this film, and she was clueless. I got fired by them. When they found out that I was auditioning for the film, they became very protective.”
Saiyami says he prefers to strike out as her own independent identity. “I like to do things on my own because it teaches you so much more,” she states. “At the same time, it is always comforting to know that my family is there. At the back of your mind, you know that if you having a tough time, you can speak to them.”