Kalki Koechlin, recipient of several awards, including a National Award, has come a long way, honing her skills and mastering the art of acting. This week for our special weekly column of Celeb Talk, the star known for her unconventional roles gets candid with The Pioneer’s Tejal Sinha about how things have changed over the years for her on a personal and professional front, dealing with criticism, and more.
Breakthrough films often do hold a special place for an actor all through their life and career, to be more specific. And it is through ‘The Debut’ film that you enter a much bigger space, being known to the masses. But that one breakthrough film does not come so easily, and so did it for Kalki Koechlin with Dev. D. She did win the hearts of not just the audience but also the critics. However, her not-so-Indian roots did come as a trouble, but as they say, you will be given your due. Today, she’s one of the most brilliant and accomplished actors we have in the industry.
Basically, she didn’t think about getting into the film industry but thought about acting, which excited her. Not only did she go on to study the art, but here’s a revelation: she made hundreds of cups of chai in theatre groups, sat down, and listened to people talk about acting in theatre. Of course, a passion that she had from a young age, she was working for it.
A Filmfare award (for Best Supporting Actress) in her debut itself—what a special moment, isn’t it? But anyway, a lot has changed for her. “I have gone through a marriage and a divorce; I have had a child; I have become famous; and there have been many more things,” gleefully shares Kalki during our exclusive tête-à-tête. But also, on the other hand, “I have become maybe a little more outspoken about things. I have gone through all kinds of phases. But I think some things remain the same, you know. I still struggle with identity, in terms of my lineage being French, but I was born in South India. I still have to constantly explain my background to people. I struggle with expressing how to be a woman who is both nurturing and present as a mother, and also ambitious and present as an actor.”
We definitely hold in high regard the way the Dev. D actress was so vocal about it all. And then, as we head towards the chat with her, she also stresses the importance of not only taking a stand for yourself but also that it is equally important for communities to have creative outlets such as art, music, and movies. “I think it’s important—absolutely important—to take a stand for yourself, but sometimes it’s not possible. Sometimes people are going through so much pain that they can’t even help themselves, and that’s why it’s so important to have a community and to have creative outlets such as art, music, and movies. These are the ways for people to recognise that they are not alone in their struggle, and sometimes you need that because you are in maybe danger, or maybe in a situation where you can’t speak up because your life is on the line. It is also very important to nurture a community that raises awareness about issues.”
Apart from the way that she puts on herself, something that one cannot stop admiring about her is her unconventional work and being as raw and unfiltered as she’s been. But sometimes it ends up drawing criticism. Regardless of how, dealing with all of it has evolved. “I think in the beginning I used to get very upset and be like, You don’t really know me. But now, I am very good at blocking. I am also—yeah, I think a certain amount of privacy is important to preserve your confidence. I don’t reject criticism from the people who are my mentors, who are professionals in this industry and will give me feedback that I can work with. But the haters on social media, I don’t have time for.”
On a recent note, she was one of the few extremely talented bunch of hotshots who were a part of Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films—’Select Films, Select Conversations’, which has become the ultimate destination for Indian short films where viewers can experience the taste of great films. Well, this was not the first association between the brand and the actress; they had earlier worked together on a short film, The Thought of You, that won at the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival in 2023. With all the anthologies we see, she does feel that we do have space for short content.
Basically, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films are always something that you see. It’s like a brand now. When you want to watch a short film, you can just type it in, and you will find a bunch of really good-quality short films to watch on the platform. I think it has really made its name in that way. There are very established filmmakers making films there, as well as new filmmakers. So yeah, it’s really just the go-to place for short films.”
It is no surprise that, ever since her debut, the Sacred Games actress has come a long way. While we talk about the hardships any woman faces in any industry and gender equality, has it been a never-ending matter to think of even in the showbiz industry? So has there been any such thing as a ‘female perspective in the industry? We wondered. Having worked with both male and female directors, the Bhrum actress unravels, “Of course there is! Even if you are making an action-packed film or whatever, typically what a masculine film might be, a woman directing it will make it different. It just will. It will just have a different perspective. Also, having women on set makes people behave differently. If I have 20 men in the crew watching me while I am doing a love scene, it’s going to be very different than if I have 20 women watching me. All of that does make a difference, and it doesn’t mean that you need to make feminine subjects or something like that. You see Reema Kagti; she is making action-packed films. But I think it will definitely come with a different perspective.”
As we head towards the end of this insightful chat with the Kho Gaye Hum Kahan actress, we also discussed the woman’s portrayal on-screen, and here’s what she had to share with us: “The way women have been portrayed on screen has definitely changed, although it goes and comes in waves. I think the ‘80s and ‘70s saw an incredible wave of very strong female characters like Deepti Naval and Shabana Azmi, and they kind of broke that wall for us. And then the ‘90s went into this sort of plastered heroine. I don’t know, just like kind of propping up the male hero. And now, with OTT platforms, you get so many female-oriented stories. So, it is changing, and it will keep evolving.”
Basically, she didn’t think about getting into the film industry but thought about acting, which excited her. Not only did she go on to study the art, but here’s a revelation: she made hundreds of cups of chai in theatre groups, sat down, and listened to people talk about acting in theatre. Of course, a passion that she had from a young age, she was working for it.
A Filmfare award (for Best Supporting Actress) in her debut itself—what a special moment, isn’t it? But anyway, a lot has changed for her. “I have gone through a marriage and a divorce; I have had a child; I have become famous; and there have been many more things,” gleefully shares Kalki during our exclusive tête-à-tête. But also, on the other hand, “I have become maybe a little more outspoken about things. I have gone through all kinds of phases. But I think some things remain the same, you know. I still struggle with identity, in terms of my lineage being French, but I was born in South India. I still have to constantly explain my background to people. I struggle with expressing how to be a woman who is both nurturing and present as a mother, and also ambitious and present as an actor.”
We definitely hold in high regard the way the Dev. D actress was so vocal about it all. And then, as we head towards the chat with her, she also stresses the importance of not only taking a stand for yourself but also that it is equally important for communities to have creative outlets such as art, music, and movies. “I think it’s important—absolutely important—to take a stand for yourself, but sometimes it’s not possible. Sometimes people are going through so much pain that they can’t even help themselves, and that’s why it’s so important to have a community and to have creative outlets such as art, music, and movies. These are the ways for people to recognise that they are not alone in their struggle, and sometimes you need that because you are in maybe danger, or maybe in a situation where you can’t speak up because your life is on the line. It is also very important to nurture a community that raises awareness about issues.”
Apart from the way that she puts on herself, something that one cannot stop admiring about her is her unconventional work and being as raw and unfiltered as she’s been. But sometimes it ends up drawing criticism. Regardless of how, dealing with all of it has evolved. “I think in the beginning I used to get very upset and be like, You don’t really know me. But now, I am very good at blocking. I am also—yeah, I think a certain amount of privacy is important to preserve your confidence. I don’t reject criticism from the people who are my mentors, who are professionals in this industry and will give me feedback that I can work with. But the haters on social media, I don’t have time for.”
On a recent note, she was one of the few extremely talented bunch of hotshots who were a part of Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films—’Select Films, Select Conversations’, which has become the ultimate destination for Indian short films where viewers can experience the taste of great films. Well, this was not the first association between the brand and the actress; they had earlier worked together on a short film, The Thought of You, that won at the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival in 2023. With all the anthologies we see, she does feel that we do have space for short content.
Basically, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films are always something that you see. It’s like a brand now. When you want to watch a short film, you can just type it in, and you will find a bunch of really good-quality short films to watch on the platform. I think it has really made its name in that way. There are very established filmmakers making films there, as well as new filmmakers. So yeah, it’s really just the go-to place for short films.”
It is no surprise that, ever since her debut, the Sacred Games actress has come a long way. While we talk about the hardships any woman faces in any industry and gender equality, has it been a never-ending matter to think of even in the showbiz industry? So has there been any such thing as a ‘female perspective in the industry? We wondered. Having worked with both male and female directors, the Bhrum actress unravels, “Of course there is! Even if you are making an action-packed film or whatever, typically what a masculine film might be, a woman directing it will make it different. It just will. It will just have a different perspective. Also, having women on set makes people behave differently. If I have 20 men in the crew watching me while I am doing a love scene, it’s going to be very different than if I have 20 women watching me. All of that does make a difference, and it doesn’t mean that you need to make feminine subjects or something like that. You see Reema Kagti; she is making action-packed films. But I think it will definitely come with a different perspective.”
As we head towards the end of this insightful chat with the Kho Gaye Hum Kahan actress, we also discussed the woman’s portrayal on-screen, and here’s what she had to share with us: “The way women have been portrayed on screen has definitely changed, although it goes and comes in waves. I think the ‘80s and ‘70s saw an incredible wave of very strong female characters like Deepti Naval and Shabana Azmi, and they kind of broke that wall for us. And then the ‘90s went into this sort of plastered heroine. I don’t know, just like kind of propping up the male hero. And now, with OTT platforms, you get so many female-oriented stories. So, it is changing, and it will keep evolving.”
