I don’t think about awards: Kalki Koechlin

Indian actor on motivation for work, upcoming film ‘Waiting’

NEW DELHI:

Indian actor Kalki Koechlin shared she doesn’t like to think about awards all the time, adding that she lives for work rather than honours. A Special Jury Award went to Kalki earlier this year at the Indian National Film Awards for her performance as a young woman afflicted with cerebral palsy in Margarita, with a Straw. Come May 27, and will she charm audiences once again with her act in the upcoming film, Waiting.

Asked whether she is anticipating another round of laurels and awards, Kalki said, “I don’t want to think about awards because it should be a happy surprise and not a disappointment that ‘Oh I didn’t get an award!’. I can’t live for awards. I need to live for work. My award is work. If I get more work from this film, then that’s the biggest award.” The former wife of director Anurag Kashyap said, “It’s important that the movie does well on the box office because that will allow more faith in studios to put money into these kinds of scripts.”

The trailer of the Anu Menon directorial, shows Kalki and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah come together due to painful circumstances. It also depicts how Shah’s character remains aloof from social media unlike Kalki’s character. And so, was she successful in convincing the veteran actor to join social networking sites for his role in the film? “I haven’t managed to convince him off-screen either to get on Twitter. He has fake accounts, so he is very upset. We’ve had funny conversations about social media,” said the Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani star.

Speaking about the baggage that comes with stardom, Kalki stated, “I am lucky enough to have a good balance. I am not so famous that I can’t walk on the streets. I can still go and buy some tomatoes on the road ... maybe, two or three selfie requests but that’s okay.”

From playing a school girl-turned-prostitute in her debut movie Dev.D to a mentally disturbed character in Shaitaan and to an interior designer in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Kalki has tried her hands at various roles. Sticking to her label of being a ‘versatile actor’, Kalki mentioned after Waiting, she will be seen in A Death In The Ganj, a film set in the 1970s.

On the other hand, despite doing well in Bollywood, she is still in love with acting on stage. “I always loved theatre. For me as an actor, it’s a place to practice your art. It’s like muscle. Some people need to go to the gym to make muscles bigger, I go to theatre to make my acting better,” she laughed, adding that she is looking forward to flying to the US in July for a play.

Last but not the least, the actor hinted that she is also working on a documentary but was unwilling to disclose further information about the storyline.  “I am doing a documentary about India and the progress of our country ... how the country has changed over the years. We are still shooting, so I can’t talk about it yet,” Kalki concluded. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2016.

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