She may be the poster-girl for women’s rights, but this inspirational live wire says she got it from her momma...and nine other figures that shaped her into the powerhouse she’s become.
![Wow! These 10 Women Changed Kalki Koechlin's Life](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/268/160417/571725be09b53/Kalki-Koechlin.jpg)
Asking Kalki’s views on feminism is like asking a mechanic to talk shop—it comes so naturally and eloquently that everyone wants to do it. She’s been more than vocal about the dire need for feminism, what we need to get about the concept (“once and for all—it’s equality, please!” she sighs) and what we ought to be fighting for. But we couldn’t help but wonder how Kalki grew up to be the fierce and feisty force she is. Turns out, there’s a small army of women that share credit...
“My Mother”
Kalki fondly describes her mother, Francoise, as a ‘fiery, French woman’ who taught her how to self-analyse. “She instilled in us this idea that self-improvement is organic, and it has to be an ongoing process. She made sure I studied Tamil and French rigorously—despite the fact I’d been enrolled in an English medium school.” She also attributes her founding introductions to cinema through her mother. “I watched a lot of (François) Truffaut and (Jean-Luc) Godard because of her, and so I grew both acquainted with, and deeply fond of, French cinema. She Oed on films like BDandit Queen and Salaam Bombay and “‘alternative’ cinema like that,” she smiles. She tells us that her mother’s opinions always stood out in the house, and that she, herself, was encouraged to have an opinion. “Whether you were a boy or a girl didn’t matter. I had to partake of everything. My parents split up when I was 12, and when there’s no man in the house, you learn to do it all,” she says, divulging that this is why she learned to change car tyres, amongst other skills. “It was just the way she raised us,” she says, matter-of-factly.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2016 من Cosmopolitan India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2016 من Cosmopolitan India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![Match Point: Polyamory & The Green-Eyed Monster](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/KCZkvT9Eu1717765525973/crp_MATCH-POINT-POLYAMORY-THE-GREENEYED-MONSTER.jpg)
Match Point: Polyamory & The Green-Eyed Monster
While the concept is still more nascent than normative in India, traditionalists have one big question: what becomes of the jealousy?
![Hello, 2024's Dating Lingo For You](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/C8D-mOmu21717765367950/crp_HELLO-2024S-DATING-LINGO-FOR-YOU.jpg)
Hello, 2024's Dating Lingo For You
Fresh ways to complicate your life this season.
![Fillers On Your Mind?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/kIeb_5Jp91717764889915/crp_FILLERS-ON-YOUR-MIND.jpg)
Fillers On Your Mind?
Cosmo intern Jia Noor Singh Bhandal's (very) quick and (very) easy take on the cosmetic procedure.
![Listen? You Need To Stop Making Your Crush Uncomfortable](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/KPYq2F8-X1717765205376/crp_LISTEN-YOU-NEED-TO-STOP-MAKING-YOUR-CRUSH-UNCOMFORTABLE.jpg)
Listen? You Need To Stop Making Your Crush Uncomfortable
And yes, you might just be doing it involuntarily.
![Hands Up If You've Been To Forgetting Apply SPF To These Areas](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/J3uqgFL7C1717761431335/crp_HANDS-UP-IF-YOUVE-BEEN-TO-FORGETTING-APPLY-SPF-TO-THESE-AREAS.jpg)
Hands Up If You've Been To Forgetting Apply SPF To These Areas
“Raises hand* and instantly reaches for sun protection
![Is Social Media Really A Free Space?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/putc81Ma01717766174989/crp_IS-SOCIAL-MEDIA-REALLY-A-FREE-SPACE.jpg)
Is Social Media Really A Free Space?
We're always rooting for self-expression...especially on the internet. But a friendly and important—reminder to proceed with caution.
![PAMPER YOUR BABY WITH A LUXE SKINCARE EXPERIENCE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/3Hvq59_hm1718011429708/PAMPER-YOUR-BABY-WITH-A-LUXE-SKINCARE-EXPERIENCE.jpg)
PAMPER YOUR BABY WITH A LUXE SKINCARE EXPERIENCE
Baby care brand CITTA offers products that are perfect for newborns and kids with the most sensitive skin
![Are we all Letterboxd-pilled?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/E4v52rcSh1717766347195/ARE-WE-ALL-LETTERBOXDPILLED.jpg)
Are we all Letterboxd-pilled?
Film study grad or not, everyone's a critic now!
![Burning bright](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/5kTYzZ7HL1717765824128/BURNING-BRIGHT.jpg)
Burning bright
Cosmo India speaks to six creators about how they handle the grind and the toll it takes on their bodies and minds.
![A nifty textbook guide to cleaning your beauty shelfie](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/oXj_EuTTS1717761624869/A-NIFTY-TEXTBOOK-GUIDE-TO-CLEANING-YOUR-BEAUTY-SHELFIE.jpg)
A nifty textbook guide to cleaning your beauty shelfie
Sorry, but it is time to finally throw away your three-year-old dried out mascara.