Ghoomer: Saiyami Kher took notes from Yuvraj Singh on his cancer battle for her character

Yuvraj Singh; (right) Saiyami Kher in Ghoomer

As soon as she read the script of Ghoomer, Saiyami Kher knew a lot of prep would go into essaying her role. In R Balki's directorial venture, the actor plays a cricketer who loses her arm in an accident and rises against the odds to pursue the sport. Challenging as the physical preparation was, Kher was more concerned about getting her character's mental framework right. She says that she turned to cricketer-friend Yuvraj Singh to guide her through it. "For me, Ghoomer is a film about triumph. Yuvi's career has been an inspiring triumph. His story has inspired me and many others. To be at the peak of his career, then battle cancer and come back from there, speaks volumes about his tenacity," says Kher.

Months after India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Singh was diagnosed with mediastinal seminoma, a germ-cell tumour located between his lungs. In early 2012, he underwent treatment in the US, and by August, he was back representing the Indian team at the 2012 ICC World T20 championship.

Before she faced the camera for the Shabana Azmi and Abhishek Bachchan-starrer, Kher sat down with Singh as he reflected on his battle with cancer, and spoke about his determination to make his way back to the cricket ground. These conversations, she says, helped her delve deeper into the psyche of an athlete. She adds, "I've resonated with sportsmanship on a personal level. However, to understand this trauma and what it could do to deter someone's spirit, was not easy. I had to understand my character's emotional state."