Kalki Koechlin does not believe in mincing words. Most people in the industry choose to be diplomatic when it comes to their ‘personal’ lives but Kalki is definitely not one of them. The actress admitted she is having an affair with Anurag Kashyap, the director of her first film Dev D, and that they’re more than ‘good friends’. “What’s there to hide? I think only those who are not serious about their relationship lie about it. Ours is a serious relationship; it’s not a fling,” said Kalki, who was in town to promote an international lifestyle brand.
When asked what does she like about boyfriend Kashyap, she said, “I like everything about him but the one quality that I really appreciate is his honesty. He is just too good as a person!” Kalki calls him (Kashyap) the best director she was worked with so far. “He leaves the scene open till the end which gives an artiste the chance to improvise. You can expect all kinds of surprises on his set. Isn’t it amazing?” she canasked.
The actress said it was not easy for her to play a prostitute in Dev D, the role which got her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2010. “Before getting into films I was a theatre artiste. And theatre artistes are known to be loud.
They want even those sitting in the last row to hear what they’ve to say, which is very different from acting in a film. I realised that to act in a film, I didn’t have to use body gestures, as we do on the stage. Your eyes do the talking for you in movies. Obviously, it was tough for me to do,” she explained. Right now, she is ‘enjoying movies a lot’ but has still not left her first love — theatre. Soon she will be seen in Rajat Kapoor’s Hamlet. As for films, there are Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s My Friend Pinto and Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara to keep her busy.
Her acting in Dev D might be flawless but her Hindi was not. The actress is currently taking lessons in Hindi and feels that her teacher is doing a good job. Kalki, who studied drama and theatre in Goldsmiths, University of London, said her dream is be to play strong characters like Phoolan Devi, Queen Elizabeth and Sister Nivedita.
“I’d also like to do a historical if given a chance,” she added. Would she like to do a typical Bollywood masala film? “Why not? For me, there are only two things that matter — the script and the director.
I don’t care about other things, including the banner, if my role is good,” she sounded like a veteran.