Interview: Kalki Koechlin on Mantra and why she doesn't fear losing the success!

Kalki Koechlin who will be seen next in Mantra with Rajat Kapoor talks about her role, excitement towards the film, art cinema, social media, success and much more...

Talk about your character in Mantra..
I play Piya Kapoor, a chef in a restaurant, who has faught a lot to get her independence. Her father is a strong business man but is not very attentive towards his daughter. I play a grown up daughter who has learned to live independently.

What excites towards a film?
I have to find the authenticity in the character that I would be playing. Sometimes it is the overall script or the role that interests me, other times u just want to break the stereotypes as, I get more curious and dark characters. To get a film like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was a breath of fresh air for me.

Do you get nervous on how audiences will react to your films?
I think I am much more relaxed than what I was. I used to get very worried initially thinking about people. But, now I realize that you are your body of work. Your work speaks for you. The more you work and the less you talk the more you end up finding the right kind of audience. In terms of the industry I feel it is a very calculative business. It has its different layers as we are still at that point where we need some box -office returns or stars to pull in the money for a film.

You have been seen in independent cinema more than the commercial ones. Do you think in future independent cinema will establish its way to successful films in terms of money?
It's going to take a while for this cinema to establish itself. Independent films have always been a struggle and if it's not a struggle then it will be commercial. What we think is radical today will be totally normal in 20 years.

Have you ever been scared to lose your success?
I guess I have never reached that level of success that I am afraid of losing it. I really haven't. I have never been at a position where I have tried to pitch myself to the stars or aimed to be a heroine. When you don't have that platform to fall for, then you are not trying to say things, you just enjoy every project that comes by. I do this job because I really love discovering human beings and how their minds work. Why they make the choices they make. That really emphasizes me.

Is there any film making experience you would cherish for life?
There were many challenging films but, definitely, ‘Margarita with a Straw’ was hugely challenging. I don't know if that is fulfilling. But, I feel my theatre work is the most fulfilling. There is nothing like being in front of the live audience. You have to be very alert and react every night in front of different audiences. That kind of aliveness is very soothing for me.

What do you have to say when celebs get trolled on social media for having an opinion?
With every new freedom there comes a lack of responsibility and right now social media has become a kind of freedom that we have access to, but we don't really know how to use it and it's going to take a generation or two. We all have plenty things to express all the time but, social media is going to become a platform for your personal voice. You need to think about what your personal voice is and not put up everything. People will take time to realize, how to use it in a useful way. But, I love it because it lets you be who you are. Sometimes I use it to clear rumours and even reply the trolls. It is not better to absorb what that criticism is. It's better to put it into your work. My answers will always be my work, whether I write a new poem or put it into my acting skills, which I feel is far more productive and reachable to bigger audience than one on one fight with someone who is anonymous. They might not even believe in the things they say. They might be getting paid for it or maybe just having a bad day. What is the point in losing your energy on that?

How easy or difficult is it to stay relevant in the Bollywood industry by being a part of not so commercially driven films?
I have done pretty well for myself. You just have to know what you really want to do. If you want to do art cinema you can, it's just that you have to find other ways to get money. You have to be a brand of your own. When you love what you do, you don't really have to find a way to do it.

Is there any genre which you would like to do?
I would love to do a rom-com. I would love to get the guy at the end of the film. Killing or beating him up.

Any future projects?
I am working on Ribbon by Rakhee Sandilya which also has Sumeet Vyas. It's about a modern day family: how to bring up a child and simultaneously be into a corporate world. Then there is a web series called Smoke which is for Eros Now.

What would you do if nothing came your way?
If nothing is coming my way I'll pick up a script or read my play. I'll call five people who are unemployed and read it together. I can't, not do something sitting at home. I feel really happy that I am not bored with my job and I am constantly on my toes. I hope I keep discovering new things.