Kalki Koechlin is resorting to loud, theatrical performances these days. It’s in keeping with the character she plays on stage. “Acting on stage isn’t very difficult. Merely, because the acting is slightly loud.” The actor also talks about her Bollywood journey, B-Town friends and more...
About her role As Ophelia
“I am enacting Ophelia, in the satire Hamlet — the Clown Prince, an adaptation of Hamlet, the tragedy. My clown name is Fifi. It’s about a troupe of clowns, who are bored with their routine performance, and one day, decide to perform Hamlet. Playing a white clown, I also have to perform magic tricks. As the concept of the play lies between the lines of emotion and tragedy, while telling the story, by the end of the play Fifi turns mad, on a breathtaking emotional note.”
Getting the right emotions
“I simply get into the situation. It is very easy for me to switch on and switch off various emotions. I come across so many people every day and try to imbibe their thought process and their mannerisms. Some of them could be serious people, while others could be lighter at heart. I am passionate about my profession and thus every minute I am in the learning process.”
Theatre vs movies
“We do not have many dialogues in the play. We are just miming our characters. There is no need for us to be loud. Undeniably, our expressions need to be slightly on the louder side. Getting louder could be dangerous; also on stage we need more confidence. On screen, we have to underplay our characters. The minutest of our eyebrow actions too can be presented in a much heavier manner as the camera catches double the magnitude of what we may have enacted. I have been associated with plays ever since my school days. And now acting on stage is just refreshing my memories.”
Friends in Bollywood
“Not very famous stars. Friendship for me is about true and strong connections. Nimrit Kaur is my friend here and Atul Kumar, Manav Kaul and Rajat Kapoor, few others from our theatre group. Also, few friends from the musical domain gel with me. Friends need to be friends and not those who pretend to be!! If you’re talking about my love life, I have no love life at the moment.”
Language no barrier
“I am open to performing any character provided the character and the story appeal to me. It is not like I am crazy to join the Bollywood bandwagon. If I have something different to offer in terms of my character, then I will surely do any film. Language is no barrier for a performer.”
Future projects
In Happy Endings, I play an obsessive girlfriend, while in Margarita with a Straw, I will be performing sitting on a wheel-chair. To prepare for this character, I had to go to a school for the physically challenged continuously for six months to get their nuances right. This is a very difficult character for me to perform. I’ve another project, Jiya O Jiya, with Richa Chaddha.
