Kalki Koechlin: 'I Was Asked To Get Botox For My Laughter Lines..'

For years, that’s what Kalki Koechlin was told. But after being in Bollywood for over a decade, the actor-activist hasn’t just evolved as an artist but also experienced the seismic shift in the beauty standards around the globe. We speak to Kalki about warped beauty standards, and what India’s #MeToo moment means for the women in the country.

- Meghna Sharma

Kalki Koechlin has been on the cover of Cosmopolitan several times in the past, but this time ’round, there’s something different about her.

This is probably not the first time you’ve heard the term ‘different’ being used in Kalki’s context. When she made her debut in Dev D, many— from sections of media to critics, to Bollywood colleagues and movie watchers—had an opinion about how she looked. Those bee-stung lips received their fair share of love and hate. The term ‘unconventional beauty’ was tossed about frequently, all amidst barely veiled suggestions that she had only been cast because she’s ‘white’.

But what’s ‘different’—and utterly fabulous—about her today, is a delightfully elfin haircut. The actor debuted this pixie ’do on social media recently, which turned into the subject of a huge debate.“Because if you’re a celebrity, everyone’s allowed to have an opinion about you, right?” she laughs. The Internet, as is usually the case, was torn between ‘how good she’s looking!’ and ‘OMG, nooo!’.

But extreme reactions are something Kalki has become immune to.

“My idea was not to shock anyone,” Kalki tells us. “I did it on a whim! I needed a change...I was going on a motorbike trip and thought it would be a practical thing to do. And now I’m doing a film with this haircut...it wasn’t a planned move at all,” she says.