It's been an eight-year-long journey for Yami Gautam in the Hindi film industry so far, and the actress is hungry to explore more stories and genres. She says she wants to keep the streak of surprise going, by playing diverse roles.

Yami made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with the film "Vicky Donor". She later featured in films like "Badlapur", "Sanam Re", "Kaabil", "Sarkar 3", "Uri: The Surgical Strike" and "Bala".

Over the years, Yami feels the journey has made her tough.

"If I have to sum up my journey in the industry, I would say that I have a lot of gratitude not just for filmmakers or for certain people who believed in me and my talent, but also for the phase when things didn't turn out the way I planned. I'm very thankful for that phase, too, because it made me more resilient and stronger," Yami told IANS.

She has learned from her ups and downs.

"It helped me hold on my own, be patient. It helped me persevere and have a belief in my talent. A big takeaway has been that if you have talent, potential, and will power, things will pan out the way you feel you deserve. That's why I have lots of gratitude for whatever I have," added the actress, who was born in Himachal Pradesh.

She wants to keep surprising her fans with a myriad of roles on screen.

"The journey is still on and there is so much I'm yet to explore as an actor. There are so many stories and genres I'm yet to explore. There are so many filmmakers and writers I want to work with. There are so many roles I want to sign up for; roles which take you by surprise -- for instance 'Bala' was a surprise for viewers," she said.

Yami pointed out that the audience did not expect comic timing from her, or that she would essay that sort of a character as she did in "Bala".

"I would love to maintain the streak of surprise. I'll try to maintain it as much as I can," she said.

Amid lockdown, Yami is in Mumbai all by herself. "I'm missing my family the most. Inherently, I'm not an outgoing person, so I'm not struggling that much. Of course, it has been a long time since we have been locked down," she said.

The 31-year-old actress stays busy with activities at home during the lockdown.

"I have managed to maintain patience and sanity by keeping busy with activity such as yoga, cooking, reading, sketching, watching something, and talking to my family on video calls. I miss being around them," she said.

Yami added: "As soon as travel is permitted and when it's safe, I'd love to fly back home and be with them."

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)