Cover Story
Kalki has consistently made film choices that are brave , diverse and smart . She has taken risks that for the most part have paid off
At the very onset of the interview , actor Kalki Koechlin declares she is clueless about money , finance , stocks , mutual funds and everything in that realm . “ This is going to be a really funny interview . I don ’ t know anything about money . I take advice on how to invest from my next-door neighbour ,” she says , even before she can settle into her seat at a suburban Mumbai restaurant . In fact , 2018 started for her with a sermon from her longstanding talent managers at KWAN . “ They told me , ‘ Kalki , can we please try and make some money this year ?’ They ’ ve been with me since before Dev . D , so they know how I am . By now , they know that I will run off to do theatre for two months and turn my phone off .”
“ I am lucky now that I have some sort of a brand name . Endorsements come to me often enough ”
It ’ s been nine years and roughly 16 films since the release of her first Hindi film Dev . D , and despite what she may say about being a hopeless negotiator , Kalki has steadfastly managed to build her brand . Every now and then , she has met with stone cold silence from her managers when she announces that she ’ s doing a tiny , indie project . The trouble , she says , is that she can ’ t resist a good script . “ Like just now , I did a film with Rajat Kapoor . It was a quick 20-day shoot . Sab ghar ki baat hai . There was no money . He said we ’ ll pay you later . I can ’ t say no to him . I ’ ve worked with him for years . When I say these things to my managers , I get silence for two days . Then they ’ ll say , you know you ’ re missing out on a big , commercial , action movie . You could get this much money ,” she says with a laugh .
That said , Kalki has consistently made film choices that are brave , diverse and smart . She has taken risks that for the most part have paid off . Take the past two years for instance — there was Konkona Sen Sharma ’ s fantastic directorial debut A Death In The Gunj , which had an ensemble cast but a great part for her . Then she played the lead in Ribbon , an urban love story about a woman juggling a career and a baby . She also shot for the next big web show for
Amazon Prime Video India , managed to squeeze in a small , crowdfunded indie film called Mantra , and simultaneously made time for her true love — theatre . At present , she ’ s filming with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt for Zoya Akhtar ’ s next , Gully Boy .
The trick , she says , is to nourish both the artist and brand equally . “ I ’ ve found a rhythm . I realised I get one or two big commercial films every few years , and then I get these indie films . I am lucky now that I have some sort of a brand name . Endorsements come to me often enough . That allows me to do indie films . And then I make space for a big film like Gully Boy . So I think I ’ m really privileged ,” she
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Outlook Money March 2018 www . outlookmoney . com