Kalki Koechlin talks about divorce with Anurag Kashyap, struggle to get roles after Dev D
Kalki Koechlin has proved her mettle in Bollywood with one film after the other. She debuted in Bollywood with Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D, in which she played the role of a sex worker. However, her journey has not been an easy one. Despite delivering such a performance in the Abhay Deol starrer, Kalki faced rejections for around two years. She went for auditions, wrote her own plays and acted in them. It was in 2011, that Kalki Koechlin actually tasted success. In that year itself, she had her four films released; Shaitan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, My Friend Pinto and Trishna. Although, Kalki has always played a supporting cast in the mainstream films, her screen presence was as charismatic as her smile.
While talking to Humans of Bombay, Kalki Koechlin spilled beans on her personal life, including her initial years in Bollywood and her separation from ex-husband and prominent filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.
“I started going for auditions, I would even carry an extra pair of clothes wherever I went. But it was hard. I got many rejections, and was often typecast. After countless tries I finally got my first role in DevD! But even that wasn’t enough to guarantee more work. For 2 years I had no other offers. But I didn’t give up, I kept writing and acting in my own plays alongside. And in 2011 I had four movie releases!”
Kalki Koechlin spoke about the time when she and Anurag Kashyap decided to dissolve their 4 years of marriage. During her separation, she was troubled by the gossips that were sparked around Kalki and her male colleagues by the media.
“The struggles never really do end though. When my ex-husband and I decided to separate, I had to deal with the rumors. Every time I stepped out with a man, the media thought we were dating. Journalists would ask me how has my life been post-divorce, how was I handling my career and balancing it? In fact, even concerned neighbours would ask such questions to my parents. But I chose to ignore it.”
Kalki Koechlin has devliered many critically-acclaimed films including Margarita With A Straw, for which she won a National Film Award for Best Actress (Jury). Currently, she is seen in Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s web series Made in Heaven, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
