Kalki Koechlin: 'I'd Prefer Sex Over Food'

Sex, Sin and Stereotypes… Kalki Koechlin comes clean in a bare all conversation with Ushnota Paul

- Ushnota Paul

Kalki Koechlin is so sorted she can give you a complex. Her resolve perhaps stems from her very dramatic life. From alleged child abuse, to being discriminated as a foreigner in her own land, to a broken marriage, she has not only survived it all but has emerged unscathed and unscratched. Her smile is angelic and warm. There is no demon lurking in her bright eyes. She doesn’t bemoan the past, nor is she overtly eager for the future. All she’s interested in is today, in this exact moment, in the breath now… She’s got the mojo and she knows it. She is candid and earnest at the same time, not letting a hint of malice hunt her emotions as she flawlessly articulates her thoughts. Presenting the choicest rejoinders from an interesting tete-a-tete…

Tell us something about your childhood…

I was born in a small fishing village in Pondicherry and grew up learning to fish. I went to a boarding school, the Hebron School in Ooty, at the age of six till I was 18. It was an international school. So we had many activities like drama festivals, trekking and outdoor stuff. That’s how I got into theatre.

Who was your favourite actor or actress then?

Julia Roberts! Watching her movies was my favourite pastime, especially Pretty Woman.

What do you consider as the turning point in your life?

Dev D. Before that I was doing theatre and commercials and had no idea that I’d be a Hindi film actor one day.

Does your family watch your films?