Exclusive: Kalki Koechlin talks about movies, theatre and Anurag Kashyap

She’s got the presence of an effortless beauty, battling a cold, in floppy pajamas as she rehearses for her all-star play ‘Trivial Disasters’. Kalki Koechlin refreshes you with a welcoming smile, no baggage and all honesty. Pinkvilla talks to the reluctant heroine, whose love for acting in good films rules over and above all other considerations.

Play and perennial love for theatre.

I enjoy theatre. For an actor, it really is an actor’s playground. Physically, we do vocal exercises, your diction gets better, voice projection improves. Your body moves so much on stage, you’ve got to be light on your toes, and you’ve got to know what to do next if the audience doesn’t laugh at a punchline! It’s a live audience, you’ve got to be on your toes.

‘Trivial Disasters’ is being promoted by Showhouse, for the first time, something of this scale is being done in theatre here. We don’t see plays travelling so much across country. We have this concept that theatre is stuffy, and only older, saree wearing intellectuals come to watch them. So getting younger people to do theatre, making them entertaining, is great.

You also recently toured Europe with Rajat Kapur’s troupe too.

Yes, that was Hamlet, the clown prince, directed by Rajat Kapur. We went to England, Holland, Israel and later on also to Singapore.

Showing ‘Hamlet’ to a British audience must have been a challenge for an Indian troupe…

Actually, the Guardian gave us a great review in London, which was fantastic. We did as clowns, performing Hamlet. What Rajat did was he extracted the essence of the meaning of ‘Hamlet’, and then performing this as clowns - their lives, their politics. So it was their story as opposed to being Hamlet’s story. It worked and people liked it.

You’ve been waiting in the wings for some time now, for your upcoming films to release- ‘Jia aur Jiah’, ‘Happy Ending’, and ‘Margherita With A Straw’.

These three films that I am dying to release now, but that happens for me. I am picky about my films. I would rather wait for a script that is exciting. I have read a couple of good scripts which are interesting, and they would start towards the end of the year. I can’t announce them till I have signed them up.

But I have been through this phase 2 years ago too. When suddenly your films release, it pours! You’re at twenty places at the same time, and then suddenly, then there’s nothing for a while. I guess I am okay with the pace because I am busy with theatre and stuff. There are times when I am waiting for a good script to come my way, and then suddenly a good script turns up.

Right from the start of your film career, you’ve maintained high standards for your films. There was skepticism around your ability to hold out and stay in the business. But since you seem to get good work, do you think it’s a good time for the unconventional actress in Hindi cinema?

I think it’s a brilliant time for actors. I think I am lucky to have worked with some of the best directors. I would any day work with any of them again. I don’t really think about it so much, you know. If Bollywood doesn’t want me, they don’t want me. I don’t want to promote myself a lot, I gotta do the best I can.

I am not here to please the world. At the end of the day, you’re here to do the best job of being you. I am happy that I am being accepted, and I am still getting work. But if I don’t get work, I will have to do something else- I will take up more theatre, or write.

We can’t sit here waiting for an ideal situation, gambling everything on that one thing. Anything can happen, tomorrow, I might lose a leg and never be on stage again.

Filmmakers have kept an open mind towards you, and you’ve had some good roles so far. Do you regret not signing up a film, and have you been surprised by a compliment or admiration of mainstream film folk?

When I did a film like ‘Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani’, I got introduced to a lot of mainstream Bollywood people, like Karan Johar. I was always surprised that they knew my work, and recognized me. I was surprised that Karan Johar had seen ‘Shaitan’, and had said that I really loved you in the film. I found that very flattering.

(Smiles) Me on the other hand, I don’t follow enough commercial cinema, so I couldn’t give the compliments back. But that’s okay, for people have understood what kind of films I do.

I do like some commercial cinema, I love watching Zoya Akhtar’s films.

I don’t try to pretend to be more than who I am. I think it’s very exhausting to keep up an appearance, better to be yourself.

Image will be created anyway, with each film promotion. It’s your job to break an image.

About regret, not really, for I was advised not to do ‘Yeh Jawaani hain Deewani’, as it was a second lead. But once I met Ayan, I loved the guy, he was so fresh in his approach and easy to relate to. The way he knew his characters, he almost knew them like friends. So I wanted to do that film, and work with him.

How did the image of being a fashionista come about? You don’t seem very fashion conscious.

(Laughs), Look at me right now! Don’t tell anyone how I look like right now.

I don’t know where the fashionista tag comes from, for I don’t follow trends, what is in, what are the colors, forget it! I have no idea.

But If I like something, I will wear it. Fashion in the end of the day is an expression of who you are. You can really express yourself through fashion, think half the gay movement expresses itself through fashion.

I like things that are handmade, things that have a story behind them. I definitely enjoy experimenting with clothes.

How do you deal with scrutiny over your personal life? Your split with Anurag Kashyap took centre stage some time ago.

It used to bother me a lot. I remember when ‘Dev D’ released, there was this one article about how Anurag has taken this girl and just made her an actress. Basically, it commented that we are not a genuine couple and are using each other for career reasons. I remember getting so upset, and so sad and crying!

Anurag told me, that there will be 100s of people writing such things and saying such things, so get used to it.

From that time, to now, I have grown a thicker skin and can laugh this off. I use comedy a lot to deal with anger, I feel it’s the best way, to joke about it. Now I take it with a pinch of salt. But it’s not easy, especially with the break up earlier this year.

Everyone thinks they know your life story, but they don’t know what really happened between two people. But they do have a very strong point of view, and I can respect my mother saying something, but I can’t respect a stranger making a comment. And they are very schizophrenic for one minute, they are on your side, and the next minute, they are on the other side.

It’s not even a battle between Anurag and me, we are friends and trying to work ourselves out as best as we can. What I started doing in the last four months, is not engaging in those highlighted questions as it’s just going to be the headline of a story.

Having said that, did it rankle when Anurag publicly spoke about moving on and dating someone else?

He was good enough to be honest, he had already told me about this beforehand. And because we share this honesty with each other, it doesn’t hurt. The press is always, believe me, two months late on everything, if at all, correct. Of course, it’s hard to have to deal with the questions and all that, but I already knew what was going on in his life.

To conclude, between the plays, films and life, do you take time off by yourself?

I just travelled by myself, I took a road trip, taking my car out. I took some friends along because I have been working very hard, and I took some time off to travel to Kamshet, Pune. It was beautiful to take off to the mountains. I love these blueberry trails across Maharashtra that are organized.