Actress Kalki Koechlin keeps nothing in her heart when she starts speaking! If you remember, she gave a powerful speech on International Women’s Day (8th March 2014) which spread like a fire on the Internet that time and now on Wednesday in Jaipur, she has once again talked strongly about the impact of patriarchy on the society.
The actress shared her experience of gender inequality in the film industry; this is what she said, “Bollywood is as patriarchal as our society. I once met a producer who asked me about my age and I said, 30. To this, he replied, ‘Don’t worry, you still have five years left.’ Another producer showed me the exact spot on my face where I needed to get a botox. There’s a lot of pressure on women in Bollywood. Objectification of women is very predominant, but I am happy that gradually things are changing. ‘Piku’ and ‘Queen’, both women-oriented films, brought a fresh change in Bollywood.”
Speaking about the remuneration dissimilarities in Bollywood, she maintained, “You only get paid more than a man if you are Priyanka Chopra.”
Kalki also presented her views on the importance of theatre for an actor. In her opinion, there is no certainty as to how the audience will react on the performance which always motivates for making improvement. In her words, “Theatre is like an actor’s gym. You hit the gym to build your muscles, and similarly, I go to the theatre to build my acting muscles.”
When she was asked the reason behind her hatred for men, she said, “I don’t hate men. Ours is a patriarchal society. Had it been a matriarchal society, I would have supported men. I would have been a ‘meninist’. For me, it’s all about equality.”
When someone asked her why she has started talking about women empowerment only after taking divorce, she stated, “If you do some research on my work, you’ll know that I have always supported women, and not only after my divorce.”
Kalki left her home for further studies when she was just 18 years old. “I knew I wanted to act, but I viewed success in a different way. Success for me is being the best version of myself. Staying away from home helped me discover myself, which helped me a lot in my career. Leaving home teaches you a lot. You become independent.”
She further added, “I have faced a huge identity crisis and still face it. I was born in Puducherry to French parents, who came to India from Angers, France. I then settled in Tamil Nadu, went abroad, came to Bengaluru and then shifted to Mumbai. But I always say, my skin is white but my heart is brown.”
As she has performed earlier also in Jaipur, Kalki said, “I enjoy coming to Jaipur. I have performed here twice at a theatre festival. I have childhood memories of this city. I remember I was 7 or 8 years old when I had come here with my parents. I also love the Rajasthani food and make sure that I try it whenever I am here. I am one of those irritating people who eats a lot and doesn’t put on weight.”