Kalki Koechlin Opens Up About Her Struggles In Personal And Professional Life
Monday, March 25, 2019 IST
Kalki Koechlin is known for her unconventional body of work in the Hindi film industry. She has been a recipient of awards such as National Film Award, Filmfare, and two Screen Awards and was conferred with the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture for her contribution to cinema.
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In 2009, Kalki made her screen debut with the film Dev D for which she won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. And with Comedy dramas Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, she established her position as a powerhouse of talent and won many hearts. While Kalki is credited for several unconventional roles that only a few actors in the Bollywood could have pulled off, in a recent Humans of Bombay post, she opened up about her journey in the industry, being typecast, and separation from her husband.
“I had an amazing childhood. For the most part, I was never aware that I was ‘white’. I didn’t feel like an outsider until much later. As I grew up, I noticed the difference. When I was a teenager, my friends & I would go on trips to the beach & people would approach me to buy drugs. I also had a nagging fear that I was being hit on because people thought I didn’t follow Indian customs,” she said.
After her first role in Dev D, Kalki struggled to get more work. “After countless tries, I finally got my first role in DevD. But that wasn’t enough to guarantee more work. For 2 years I had no offers. But I didn’t give up, I kept writing and acting in my own plays and in 2011 I had 4 movie releases.”
While she faced difficulties in her professional life, she also dealt with negative publicity after her separation. “The struggles never really end. When my ex-husband and I separated, I had to deal with the rumors. Every time I stepped out with a man, the media thought we were dating. Journalists would ask how my life was post-divorce, how was I handling my career and balancing it? Even concerned neighbours would ask my parents such questions. But I chose to ignore it.”
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