Smart women in Bollywood know they can play the lead: Kalki

KalkiKoechlin doesn’t wear her activism on her sleeve – it’s more of an expression of what she thinks as a woman and an actress who has the platform to make herself heard. Her satirical video on rape, It’s Your Fault, was an expression of that Kalki, who attends underground comedy shows which talk about issues too sensitive for the general public, and makes her point through sarcastic videos and monologues.It’s Your Fault went viral, and so did the video of her recent stage monologue about the truths of womanhood. Here are excerpts from a conversation with her about what bothers Kalki as an actress in Bollywood and a woman in general.
I keep a ranting diary There are instances when you are felt up in public transport, or a guy creates some problem, but mostly, we don’t have the time to waste, so we quietly shove it away because we don’t want to create a scene. In Bollywood, certain stereotypes are made about you, the way you are looked at and judged for being a woman and doing certain kinds of roles. All of that affects you, and I always keep a ranting diary about it, because most of the time I don’t want to fight it out in public. It’s sad that I have gotten to that stage, but that’s how it is for most people. The monologue was my way of putting all that stuff, that bubbles inside us, out on a platform. It’s a very personal monologue about everything that affects me as a woman in this country. I’m not trying to be an activist. I think half the battle is just about saying what you want to say as a woman and doing what you want. I am a celebrity and I can take the chance of speaking up – it would be ridiculous not to take advantage of that.
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I felt unsafe after December 16 It’s Your Fault happened by chance. I’m in touch with the AIB, who wrote the script of the video. I attend their underground shows in Mumbai, because they talk about a lot of sensitive issues and they would be shut down if they went too public with it. I like what they do and they are constantly pushing barriers. In a country like ours, where everybody is offended by everything, freedom of speech is really important, and I think they are representative of that in comedy. They came with the script at a time when I was looking for something to do with the issue of women and rape, because I was actually in Delhi when the December 16 gang-rape happened, and I was deeply affected by it. I went out on the streets with the protesters. I know how unsafe I felt when I was travelling around on my own. I was shooting here for a couple of months. I wrote a lot on Facebook after it happened, but I felt the need to do more, so when this video’s script came along I jumped at it. It’s a different way of approaching the subject. The video has been criticised – that it’s not in Hindi and didn’t reach the masses, also that it’s satirical and a lot of people didn’t understand the sarcasm. I remember some people saying, ‘Yes, you are right, women should watch what they say’ – they actually thought it was not sarcastic and we meant what we said in the video! That’s a terrible thing. But I thought, if the video didn’t exist, would that have been a better solution? No. At least it is affecting some people – it did go viral. We cannot stop the dialogue.
I’m not going to be able to cover all the subjects of women’s problems in India, I can only cover what I understand and what I personally relate to. So, I want to continue talking about that and doing such things. The biggest way would be doing roles that are about empowering women and showing women in a different light. That is my aim.
I am an actor, not an activist, but, as an artiste, you are affected by all these things. My work is in the world of acting and this was an ideal opportunity where the two worlds met. Also, young people are not interested in long lectures about what’s good for women, they want to hear something more relatable. A lot of young people came to me after watching the video, and one of them said, ‘My boyfriend apologised to me after seeing the video because he used to tell me not to wear short skirts or do certain things.’ More of such small efforts could probably change the way people think.
I do things which are not Bollywood There is a pressure to look good all the time when you are in the limelight, but I am also somebody who chooses not to be suffocated by it. I like to maintain that down-to-earth side. I have friends who are not from the industry, I do things which are not Bollywood and I dress non-Bollywood at times. But, of course, there is the pressure to look a certain way, or change the way you look, which is quite sad. But I don’t think it’s only in Bollywood, this pressure is present in all realms, especially in our country where the sense of self-worth is not very strong in women.
Smart women in Bollywood know they can play the lead Women in Bollywood, who are smart enough, are starting to realise that, actually, we can get better roles. We can be lead heroines, we don’t need a man to be a sidekick to, and that’s great. There are people like Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut – I just saw her Queen and I think it’s a very sensitive and simple film but very accurate and real. The stereotyping is going away and a bit more real roles are coming along – that’s fantastic.