Birthday Special: From Dev D to Margarita With A Straw, how Kalki Koechlin brought niche films in trend
Kalki Koechlin might not be one of the leading ladies of Bollywood but she’s certainly that dependable actress who can pull off any role with utmost ease. With her debut film Dev D itself, Kalki proved that she’s here to stay. With her meticulous choices of films and her ability to add charms to it, she has given us umpteen reasons to sing praises of her. If you’ve watched Margarita With A Straw, Waiting, Dev D, That Girl in Yellow Boots, you must be aware of the pool of talent this exceptional actress and screenwriter carries within her.
Today, she’s celebrating her 35th birthday a day after the grand launch of her upcoming film Gully Boy’s trailer. On her special day, let’s see how Kalki Koechlin has brought the niche films back in vogue in Bollywood.
Dev D- Chandramukhi
In her first film itself, she took a challenging role of Chandramukhi opposite Abhay Deol. Dev D was a contemporary rendition of Devdas with Abhay Deol playing the male lead while Mahie Gill and Kalki Koechlin taking up the roles of Paro and Chanda respectively. Throughout the film, Kalki outshone the rest of the cast and we have no second thoughts about it.
That Girl In The Yellow Boots- Ruth
Kalki played a British woman is scanning the cities of India to find her father who is of Indian descent. During her quest for her dad, Ruth goes through different chapters in her life (mostly dark) as she extends her stay in the country sans permit. Her struggle goes in vain when her quest comes to a shocking end.
Waiting- Tara
While her husband is brought to a hospital critically injured, Tara finds herself in a tussle to decide whether to go with the surgery that might complicate things or let him be on a cliff-hanger. She meets an amicable old man Shiv Natraj (Naseeruddin Shah) who changes his perception of grief and tragedy. We cannot imagine anybody but Kalki Koechlin in a role that requires the right balance of emotions.
Margarita With A Straw- Laila
Kalki Koechlin played the role of a teenage girl with cerebral palsy who falls in love with a blind girl (played by Sayani Gupta). The film speaks on many topics at once including diversity in sexual orientations. Kalki Koechlin especially learnt the speech patterns of people with cerebral palsy and never in any part of the film she underplayed or overdid. For this film, Kalki rightfully won the prestigious National Film Awards for Best Actor (Jury) back in 2015.
