Kalki Koechlin (/klki kekla/ (listen); born 10 January 1984) is a French actress and screenwriter who works primarily in Hindi films. She has received numerous awards for her unique body of work, including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Screen Awards.Despite being a French citizen, she was raised and spent the majority of her life in India.
Koechlin, who was born in Pondicherry, India, was captivated to theatre at a young age.She studied acting at Goldsmiths, University of London, while also working with a local theatre company.After returning to India, she made her film debut in 2009 as Chanda in the drama Dev.D, for which she received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.Following that, she starred in two of the highest-grossing Hindi films of their respective release years, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), both of which earned her Filmfare nominations for Best Supporting Actress.With the 2011 murder thriller That Girl in Yellow Boots, in which she also performed the lead part, Koechlin expanded her career into screenwriting.
Koechlin's continued association with commercial films such as the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan (2013) and the musical drama Gully Boy (2019) helped to sustain her success, as did her performances in independent films such as the comedy drama Waiting (2015) and the slice-of-life film Ribbon (2017).She received additional praise and a National Film Award for her performance as a young woman with cerebral palsy in the coming-of-age film Margarita with a Straw (2014).Beginning in the late 2010s, Koechlin transitioned to web content, appearing in a slew of hit web series.She received particular acclaim for her roles as a lonely socialite in Amazon Prime Video's Made in Heaven and a self-styled godwoman in Netflix's Sacred Games (both 2019).Several theater performances have been written, produced, and acted in by Koechlin.
She co-wrote the drama Skeleton Woman (2009), for which she received The MetroPlus Playwright Award, and made her stage directorial debut with the tragicomedy Living Room (2015).Koechlin is also an activist who advocates for a variety of subjects ranging from health and education to women's empowerment and gender equality..
Childhood and backgroundd Also see:
Koechlin familyKalki Koechlin was born on January 10, 1984, in Pondicherry, India, to French parents, Jol Koechlin and Françoise Armandie, who immigrated to India from Angers, France.She is the granddaughter of Maurice Koechlin, a French structural engineer who was instrumental in the design and building of the Eiffel Tower.
Koechlin's parents are Sri Aurobindo devotees, and she spent a considerable portion of her youth in Auroville.Eventually, the family relocated to Kallatty, a village near Ooty in Tamil Nadu, where Koechlin's father built a business designing hang gliders and ultralight aircraft.Koechlin was raised in Ooty in a disciplined atmosphere where she spoke English, Tamil, and French.Her parents split when she was fifteen years old; her father relocated to Bangalore and remarried, while Koechlin remained with her mother.She has regarded her time at Kallatty between the ages of 5 and 8, prior to her parents' divorce, as her "happiest" time.
Koechlin has a half-brother from her mother's first marriage and a half-brother from her father's second marriage.
Koechlin attended Hebron School, an Ooty residential school, where she participated in acting and writing.She confessed to being timid and quiet as a child.Koechlin wanted to study psychiatry and work as a criminal psychologist.After finishing high school, she came to London to study acting and theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London.She spent two years with the theatre company Theatre of Relativity, where she wrote The Rise of the Wild Hunt and performed in plays such David Hare's The Blue Room and Marivaux's The Dispute.
On weekends, she worked as a waiter.After finishing her education, Koechlin returned to India to live with her maternal half-brother in Bangalore.She traveled to Mumbai, where she collaborated with theatrical directors and Atul Kumar and Ajay Krishnan, the creators of the Mumbai-based theatre company "The Company Theatre."They were seeking for actors for a theatrical event called Contacting the World, which was going to be staged in Liverpool..
Film buffr Initial work (2009-2010))
Koechlin auditioned for Anurag Kashyap's Dev.D (2009), a modern-day adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1917 Bengali classic Devdas.In the film, Koechlin plays Leni, a young woman who turns to prostitution following a sex tape controversy.The character was inspired by Chandramukhi, a significant character in the novel who fell in love with the titular character.Kashyap first turned down Koechlin because she was not Indian and did not fit his vision of the role.After seeing her audition tape, he changed his mind and offered her the part.The film received mostly positive reviews and was a box office triumph.
Koechlin received critical acclaim and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, which was regarded as "imbued with a touching fragility" and "astonishingly [appropriate]."Others were impressed by her character's intricacy, but thought Koechlin's portrayal in the first half of the film was unprofessional.Koechlin's only film performance in 2010 was as a supporting character in the black comedy The Film Emotional Atyachar.The film, which also stars Ranvir Shorey, Mohit Ahlawat, Abhimanyu Singh, Vinay Pathak, and Ravi Kishan, debuted to mediocre reviews.Her depiction as Sophie, a deceptive lady kidnapped by two crooked cops, received mixed reviews from critics.Komal Nahta of Koimoi said her performance was mediocre, while Blessyy Chettiar of Daily News and Analysis thought she was underutilized.Koechlin had agreed to star in I Am Afia, one of four short films in Onir's anthology I Am, but the segment went into production with a different script."As we discussed the subject more and more, both Kalki and I felt that the narrative was becoming too hurried in the 25-minute limit," Onir remarked in an interview with The Telegraph.After the plot was changed, Koechlin, who intended to play an NGO worker in the film, was eventually replaced with Nandita Das..
Commercial success and breakthrough (2011-2014))
After some early difficulty finding cinema roles, Koechlin had four releases in 2011, gaining significant acclaim for her performances in them.The first film was Bejoy Nambiar's Shaitan, a crime thriller starring Koechlin, Rajeev Khandelwal, Gulshan Devaiya, Shiv Panditt, Neil Bhoopalam, and Kirti Kulhari.She played a damaged adolescent and described the experience as "exhausting," stating she felt tired while attempting to "get into the psyche of someone who does a lot of drugs and booze, has lost her mind a little bit, and is very vulnerable."While film critics labeled the role as "nightmarish" and "engaging," Koechlin was commended for her performance, with Raja Sen calling her "an increasingly striking actress."The film got favorable reviews from reviewers upon its initial release, earning Koechlin a Screen Award nomination for Best Actress.
Following that, Koechlin appeared in Zoya Akhtar's coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.In a previous interview with NDTV, Akhtar revealed her desire to work with Koechlin after seeing her in Dev.D and the then-unreleased That Girl in Yellow Boots.Natasha, a South Bombay girl who works as an interior designer, was played by her.. Koechlin, who took diction training for the role, which required her to speak with an accented Hindi, claimed that she was excited to undertake the film because her work in Dev.D and Shaitan had led to her being typecast in dark roles of prostitutes, unstable youths, and misfits.Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was a box office success, collecting 1.53 billion rupees (US$19 million) worldwide.
It was the ninth highest-grossing Bollywood film at the time of its release.The performance of Koechlin was praised by critics.The Times of India's Gaurav Malani called her "excellent," and Rediff.com's Raja Sen described her as "historically strong enough to manage varied roles."Koechlin was also nominated for a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.
With Anurag Kashyap's 2011 thriller That Girl in Yellow Boots, Koechlin broadened her screenplay career.She stated that Kashyap requested her to write the script for the film because he wanted a female viewpoint on the story.She co-starred in the film with Naseeruddin Shah as Ruth, a British woman who journeys to Mumbai in quest of her biological father.
The role was inspired in part by her own experiences as a "white girl" in India.The film was shot in thirteen days and premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival as well as the 67th Venice International Film Festival, among other venues.It debuted to critical acclaim, with Koechlin receiving widespread praise for her portrayal.Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four, writing that Koechlin "creates a memorable woman who is sad and old beyond her years.
"Rediff.com's Sukanya Verma praised Koechlin as "unrestrained and uncorrupted."NDTV film critic Saibal Chatterjee praised the film as well, calling her performance "absolute perfection."The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-produced comedy My Friend Pinto was Koechlin's final release of the year.In the film, she portrayed an ambitious dancer.. Koechlin was cast in Dibakar Banerjee's political thriller Shanghai alongside Emraan Hashmi and Abhay Deol (her third collaboration with Deol).
The film, based on Greek writer Vassilis Vassilikos' 1967 novel Z (which was adapted into a film of the same name), premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.Koechlin considered the role of a political activist to be difficult, describing it as "vulnerable and awkward."She described the persona as "someone who is not accepted, an outsider."Shanghai earned favorable reviews from reviewers and was a surprise box-office success, grossing over 355 million (US$4.4 million) worldwide.
Koechlin's performance in the film elicited mixed reactions.While Russell Edwards praised her "biting edge" in the character, Aniruddha Guha saw her as the film's "weakest link.". Koechlin's continuing engagement with mainstream films aided her success, as evidenced by both of her 2013 releases, the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan and the romantic comedy-drama Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, to differing degrees.
The former was based on Mobius Trips, a short tale written by Mukul Sharma, Konkona Sen Sharma's father, who also appeared in the film.Koechlin played Lisa Dutt, a music teacher from Canada who is suspected of practicing witchcraft.Koechlin learnt to play the guitar for her role in the film and lip synced "Yaaram," one of the film's tracks.Upon its initial release, the picture garnered mixed to positive reviews from reviewers and had a respectable box-office run, collecting more over 402 million (US$5.0 million).
Anupama Chopra praised Koechlin in her film review, saying she was "an interesting actor but the film doesn't know what to do with her."Her second feature appearance in 2013 was Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which also starred Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, and Aditya Roy Kapur.
Aditi Mehra played the part of a tomboy.Koechlin, who was nursing her hospitalized mother while filming for the documentary, described it as a "really tough time."Despite this, she characterized her time on the set as "fun," and she formed a good connection with Padukone.With earnings of 3.02 billion (US$38 million), the film became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films.
News18's Rajeev Masand praised Koechlin's portrayal and comic timing, adding, "Koechlin invests heart and spunkiness to the part."For her work in the film, she received her third Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.Later that year, Koechlin and VJ Juhi Pandey participated in the video It's Your Fault.When it comes to sexual assaults on women, the movie mocks the worldview that blames women for inciting rapes.All India Bakchod made it, and it was uploaded on their YouTube account.It's Your Fault became viral, garnering over 150,000 views in just two days.
Koechlin's single 2014 release was Saif Ali Khan's Happy Ending, in which she portrays a humorous character fascinated with Khan's character.She attributed her casting to her performance in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.People recognized her comic timing in the picture, which she said worked in her favor.The film, which Koechlin called as a "spoof on our film industry and all romantic comedies," received poor reviews and was a box-office flop.Despite the film's mixed reviews, she received accolades for her portrayal.According to India Today's Saurabh Dwivedi, "Koechlin steals the show with her perfect portrayal of a nagging girlfriend," and Hindustan Times' Rohit Vats commented that, while her character in the film felt a bit forced, she produced a "charming" performance..
Critical acclaim (from 2015 to the present)
Shonali Bose's drama Margarita with a Straw stars Koechlin as Laila, a young lady with cerebral palsy who leaves her home in India to study in New York City, falls in love unexpectedly, and starts on a journey of self-discovery. Malini Chib, Bose's cousin, inspired her role. Bose approached Koechlin, who she described as her "first and only choice," for the role while she was filming Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Due to the conflicting timetable, Bose auditioned other actresses to replace Koechlin, but she felt that "something was missing" in each one, so she chose to push the filming for three months to accommodate her. In an interview with the Times of India, Koechlin admitted that the role was the most difficult of her career, and she took six months off from filmmaking to prepare for it. She went through a six-week training program with actor Adil Hussain. The program tried to make her "body language appear natural," while also focusing on the speaking patterns of cerebral palsy sufferers. Koechlin spent a lot of time with Chib, her physiotherapist, and her speech therapist. She also attended a month-long course in Delhi where she concentrated on body part movement. Despite the fact that the film deals with physical impairment, Koechlin describes it as "a romcom with some hurdles."
Margarita with a Straw premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival, the 19th Busan International Film Festival, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Positive reviews greeted the picture, and Koechlin received considerable notice and critical acclaim for her portrayal of a crippled person. While The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Felperin praised her "bravura performance in both physical and emotional terms," Saibal Chatterjee called her "[simply] brilliant." Deepanjana Pal of Firstpost attributed her screen attractiveness to her lack of acting conceit, writing, "[Koechlin] has done a good job of miming the physicality, but what is truly remarkable is the lack of artifice in her expressions." In his review for The Commercial Appeal, John Beifuss compared her performance to Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the biographical drama The Theory of Everything. He lavished praise on Koechlin, noting that her performance in a major film studio production would have earned her an Academy Award nomination. Variety critic Guy Lodge agreed, and was particularly struck by her range.
The film earned Koechlin several awards, including Best Actress at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the Screen Award for Best Actress, and the Jury Award at the 63rd National Film Awards. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Asian Film Awards.
In Y-Films' Man's World, a comedy on gender norms, Koechlin played alongside Parineeti Chopra, Richa Chadda, and Bhumi Pednekar. In April of 2015, the series was made available on YouTube. She then acted in Anu Menon's Waiting, an independent film about two people who become friends in a hospital while nursing their respective comatose wives. Tara Deshpande, a young and boisterous social media savvy, was played by Koechlin. For the role, she dyed her hair black since Menon wanted her to look more "earthy." The film had its international premiere in December 2015 at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), and it was released theatrically in India on May 27, 2016.
The film and her performance earned favorable reviews from critics. Rediff.com's Sukanya Verma rated the film "absolutely riveting," and praised Koechlin's "stunningly unhindered" performance, noting that she used her aura "in the most mesmeric fashion to create a woman we sympathise with and wish well for." The film, according to film critic Kunal Guha, belonged to Koechlin, who "impresses by managing to wordlessly convey her character's state of mind in every scene."
In 2016, Koechlin starred in two documentaries: Freedom Matters, a project to raise awareness about human trafficking, and Living Shakespeare, a BBC production in which she identified connections between Ophelia and Indian women. She was invited to serve on the jury for the 2016 Marrakech International Film Festival, which was presided over by Hungarian director Béla Tarr. Two of Koechlin's films were released at the 18th Mumbai Film Festival: the critically acclaimed A Death in the Gunj and the critically panned Mantra. In the former, she plays Mimi, an Anglo-Indian woman from Kolkata who seduces a younger disturbed teen. She attended an acting workshop led by the film's casting director, Atul Mongia, to prepare for the role, and she also learned an Anglo-Indian accent. She described it as "a very sexual, beautiful character," unlike anything she had done previously. A Death in the Gunj's release date was pushed back several times for various reasons. Critics who praised Koechlin's performance referred to her as "ever dependable" and "perfect fit."
Mantra and A Death in the Gunj both hit theaters in the first half of 2017, in March and June, respectively. The delayed road film Jia aur Jia, co-starring Richa Chaddha, focused on two strangers with the same name who embark on a road trip together. The picture, directed by Howard Rosemeyer on his debut, was released on October 27. Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times and Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost praised Koechlin's performance while giving the film a bad review. Ribbon, her final release of the year, received favorable reviews from critics.
The film, directed by Rakhee Sandilya, chronicles the life of a couple living in Mumbai and their struggles with an unforeseen pregnancy. Commentators praised Koechlin's performance as Sahana, a sales executive who endures workplace discrimination, as the most mature of her film career. Chatterjee was especially taken with her "star turn in one of the meatiest roles she has ever played on the big screen."
Siddharth Sinha's short film The Job featured Koechlin as a French immigrant. Kushal Shrivastava directed the psychological thriller, which was intended to be a satire of the corporate sector and its exploitation of employees. Her performance was praised, with writers attributing the film's appeal to her convincing performance. The French government awarded Koechlin the Order of Arts and Letters; Alexandre Ziegler, the French Ambassador to India, formally delivered the medal to her on June 23. In 2019, Koechlin co-starred in the musical drama Gully Boy with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The film was a critical and economic success, generating more than 2.22 billion (US$31 million) despite a production budget of 400 million (US$5.6 million).
Other assignments
Stage profession
Koechlin has been involved with theater since he was a child. She attended drama workshops in Pondicherry as a child. Her mother insisted on her finishing her schooling before pursuing an acting career, sending her to London to study theater and theatre. Koechlin has continued to appear in theatrical performances during her career in the film industry. In India, she has written, produced, and acted in various theatre plays. "Theater is really an actor's playground," she remarked in a 2014 interview with Verve. "There's nothing like performing for a live audience." In June 2015, Koechlin launched her own theatre production firm, Little Productions.
Koechlin and Prashant Prakash received The Hindu's 2009 The MetroPlus Playwright Award for their co-written piece Skeleton Woman, which was directed by Nayantara Kotian. The drama is based on an Inuit traditional tale about a writer, and Koechlin played the protagonist's wife. It had its world premiere at Mumbai's Prithvi Theatre. In his assessment, Asmit Pathare of Mumbai Theatre Guide stated, "The actors, being the playwrights themselves, seemed to know what they were doing." She also co-wrote Colour Blind, a play that aims to unearth many facets of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore's personality via his life and writings. Koechlin portrays two characters: Argentine writer and intellectual Victoria Ocampo (a close colleague of Tagore) and a young woman preparing a research report about him. Aditi Sharma of Mumbai Theatre Guide referred to Koechlin as the "star of the play," noting that she "really put in an effort to build her character and it shows." Atul Kumar's Trivial Disasters, The Real Inspector Hound, Ajay Krishnan's Hair, in which she plays Rapunzel, and Kapoor's Hamlet, The Clown Prince are among Koechlin's other early theater appearances.
With the 2015 play Living Room, Koechlin made her stage directorial debut. In 2014, Koechlin penned a four-page conversation between Death and an elderly woman who is in a bizarre surreal zone, preparing to die but unwilling to leave the earth. In 2015, she continued to work on the play's script. "Last year, when I was unemployed for six months, I started fleshing out the story, and it turned into a comedy on life and death," she said in a 2016 interview with Mumbai Mirror. On July 24, 2015, the drama was performed at Bangalore's Ranga Shankara Hall. Rajat Kapoor's What's Done, Is Done, an adaption of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, also featured Koechlin. She played Lady Macbeth as well as one of the play's witches. The play's initial performance took place on June 5, 2016 in Mumbai.
Philanthropy
Koechlin considers herself a feminist and actively advocates for gender equality. She wrote an article on the gender pay gap for Forbes India's 22 August 2014 issue, and is vocal in her support for the issue: "Equal pay won't happen because there is a hero-based industry need to strive for scripts that empower women, make women our heroes, too." Koechlin has presented several monologues aimed at raising public awareness, and has used YouTube as a platform or forum for issues that she advocates for. She was included in Puma's "Do You?" commercial campaign, which encouraged women to "find their best selves." Koechlin, together with Jacqueline Fernandez and Sakshi Malik, led a group of women at a movement-organized event to break the Guinness World Record for "Most people holding the abdominal plank position" for one minute. She has served as an ambassador for projects such as Vogue India's "Vogue Empower" and United Colors of Benetton's "#Unitedbyhalf," both of which aim to raise awareness about women's safety and gender equality.
Cottonworld's "Adopt-A-Tree" project, in which the business offered its clients with viable seeds and planting instructions, pushing them to give back to the environment, featured Koechlin as an ambassador. In an interview with journalist Priyadarshini Nandy before of the 2012 Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, she backed her eco-friendly lifestyle. She backed the TERI, Tetra Pak, and The Times of India program "Your Cartons. My Classroom," which promoted the recycling of empty tetra pak cartons into furniture for school classrooms. Koechlin starred in the short film Hawa Badlo, which was created to raise awareness about the health risks associated with air pollution. She is also an animal rights activist, having starred in a PETA marketing campaign urging the adoption of stray cats and dogs in 2012.
Koechlin is a supporter for LGBT rights and has appeared in video commercials such as Jagatjit Industries' IICE Vodka commercial "Kinki Chilli." Shiven Surendranath directed the video, which emphasized an individual's ability to determine their sexual identity. In an International Women's Day interview with The Huffington Post, Koechlin showed her support for the LGBT population, noting that education was crucial for building sensitization to LGBT rights. Koechlin and Kunal Kapoor's video greetings in which they expressed their support for the LGBTQ community were screened during the 2016 Delhi International Queer Theater and Film Festival. Koechlin appeared on the cover of Bombay Dost, India's first LGBT magazine, in March 2015.
Koechlin is also outspoken on a number of other problems, including health promotion, rural education, and child sexual abuse, among others. Koechlin is an enthusiastic participant in the P & G Shiksha program to educate children in rural India. Shonali Bose's cousin Malini Chib accompanied her to the 2015 Mumbai Marathon, a humanitarian event intended at raising awareness about topics such as education, health difficulties such as cancer and AIDS, and senior citizen welfare. Having experienced sexual assault as a child, Koechlin hopes to raise awareness about the subject, stating that it is "important that parents remove the taboo around the word sex or private parts so kids can speak openly and be saved from potential abuse." She also addressed at the All India Conference on Child Sexual Abuse, which was organized by actor Rahul Bose's non-profit organization HEAL.
Poetry readings and writing
Koechlin began composing poetry as a child and has performed and recorded several self-written poems. She is a supporter of socially important poetry and presented a solo theatrical monologue titled Wo-Manologue at a FICCI Ladies Organisation event in December 2016. She has also irregularly delivered An Intense Piece about the Truths of Womanhood, a soliloquy, at events such as the International Women's Day special at the India Today Conclave in March 2014 and the FICCI Ladies Organisation meeting in Kalyani Nagar in 2016. At "Spotlight," a poetry slam in Mumbai, she read three unique poems about consumerism, contemporary culture, and a funny nursery rhyme. Koechlin served on the jury for the 2016 National Youth Poetry Slam, which was held in Bangalore.
As part of Culture Machine's video series "Unblushed," Koechlin featured in a 2016 video titled Printing Machine, which discussed the media and society's reaction to crimes against women. The five-minute film, which includes a poem written and read by Koechlin, was uploaded on YouTube. Both reviewers and spectators praised the video. She also received a letter of thanks from Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for her efforts to raise awareness of women's issues. Following the success of Printing Machine, a second collaborative video for the Unblushed series, Noise, was uploaded on the company's YouTube page on 22 June 2017 (World Music Day).
Koechlin performed a 17-minute act titled "Fairy Tale" at Kommune India's SpokenFest 2017. The piece's goal was to expose the "intrinsically faulty" portrayal of fairy tales. She proposed alternative interpretations that, among other things, rejected the notions of a princess who "must never displease," a prince who "must be gentle and yet be a man," and a witch who is not the "antagonist, but a strong woman misunderstood by society." In response to the poem, The Indian Express's Ishita Sengupta proposed rereading the fairy tales "in a new light."
Elephant in the Womb, Koechlin's debut novel, is set to be published by the end of 2021. This illustrated nonfiction book will chronicle her unique pregnancy and parenthood experiences. Valeriya Polyanychko created the artwork, and it will be published by Penguin Random House India.
Private life
In April 2011, Koechlin married filmmaker Anurag Kashyap at her family home in Ooty. They met on the set of her debut film, Dev.D. Koechlin and Kashyap published a joint statement addressing their separation on November 13, 2013. They filed for divorce in a Mumbai family court on May 19, 2015. The pair went through marriage counseling between their separation and eventual divorce. In the midst of all the press and conjecture surrounding her divorce, Koechlin admitted in 2012 that she regretted being so open about her personal life, saying, "It just takes center stage instead of your work." She has rarely discussed her personal life in public since her divorce. Tabloids have frequently associated her romantically with other Bollywood actors, but she has categorically refuted any such speculation. Dosa, a rescue cat, was adopted by Koechlin.
On September 30, 2019, Koechlin confirmed her pregnancy with her boyfriend, Israeli musician Guy Hershberg. Their daughter was born by water delivery on February 7, 2020.
In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, she revealed that she was a victim of stereotypes during her adolescence and early film career, when she was stereotyped as a "white girl" in India. "Even as an actor, you have days when you haven't slept enough, when you don't feel like you're good enough or pretty enough... But ultimately, it's all about attitude. You must live with a little abandon and not be self-conscious. You ought to stop staring at yourself in the mirror, and just smile a little!" In an interview with The Local, she claimed, "My skin is white, but my heart is brown." She has a French passport, which she chose over an Indian passport because it is easier to travel with the former.
Image from the media
It is not my responsibility to keep myself in the press. My job is to continue performing. I wouldn't have the energy to perform the work I'm doing if I spent my time advertising myself or worrying about my image.
—Kalki Koechlin (June 2013)
Koechlin has received media attention for her unorthodox film roles as well as her direct attitude. Subhash K. Jha, a film critic and journalist, described her acting in Printing Machine as the "free-thinking actress this industry Bollywood needs." GQ's Megha Shah described her as "someone who can speak her mind, sound intelligent, and look stunning in a bikini." Members of the media have since dubbed her a role model for women all throughout the country. Bhavya Sadhwani praised her for being "a real life heroine" and "voicing her opinions without an iota of inhibition." Another editorial in The Week noted that she "has always stayed ahead of her contemporaries in the industry" with her forceful performances and by sharing her beliefs.
Following her portrayals of characters in Dev.D, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Shaitan, and Margarita With a Straw, Koechlin garnered greater acclaim and was labeled a "nonconformist." Because of her unorthodox roles and strong public presence, Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent described her as a pioneer for the Indian film business. Forbes' Don Groves noted that she has "managed to subvert stereotypes by playing characters who are nothing alike." Vinayak Chakravorty, a film critic and journalist, names Koechlin as one of the "new 'new-wave' actors" who has shown her effortless screen presence in her brief career.
The Indian media has branded Koechlin the "queen of experimental fashion" and identified her as a style icon. Filmfare's Raedita Tandan described Koechlin's fashion appeal as "effortless" and "un-diva esque." Slow-process multimedia artist Riyas Komu and Elle couturier Amit Aggarwal, for example, have defined Koechlin's persona as representing "a sense of eclecticism" and "fresh, akin to a new wave," respectively. Koechlin has appeared in a number of fashion events, including Lakme Fashion Week, India International Jewellery Week, and the Mijwan Fashion Show (Shabana Azmi's annual fund-raising event). She also appeared as a guest at Milan Fashion Week, one of the world's "Big Four Fashion Weeks."
Koechlin is well-known in the Indian media and film business for her commitment to her craft. "Her commitment as an actor is relentless," said Atul Kumar, founder of The Company Theatre and her co-star in Hamlet. During the filming of Margarita With a Straw, director Shonali Bose stated that Koechlin was able to offer great long takes for the film due to the "intense hard work that she put into the preparation of her role." Anurag Kashyap, her ex-husband who directed her in three films, says she "has grown as an actor since Dev.D." Rajat Kapoor, who cast Koechlin as Ophelia in Hamlet, says she is an actress with "sensitivity and understanding of filmmaking and theatre."
Koechlin is a celebrity endorser who has worked with a variety of brands and services, including Coca-Cola, Olay, Vogue, Micromax, Titan, Grey Goose's Style du jour, and AOC International, which includes the cosmetics giant Oriflame. Koechlin stated in an interview with Asian News International that she "believes that everyone, whether an actor or a model, should endorse a brand that matches their ideologies." She was also the brand ambassador for the "Cinema For Care" segment at the All Lights India International Film Festival (ALIIFF), which took place in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in November 2015.
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Laaga Chunari Mein Daag | Unknown | Cameo |
| 2009 | Dev.D | Chandramukhi | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2010 | The Film Emotional Atyachar | Sophie | |
| 2011 | That Girl in Yellow Boots | Ruth Edscer | |
| Shaitan | Amrita "Amy" Jayshankar | ||
| Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | Natasha Arora | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| My Friend Pinto | Maggie | ||
| Trishna | Herself | Cameo | |
| 2012 | Shanghai | Shalini Sahay | |
| 2013 | Ek Thi Daayan | Lisa Dutt | |
| Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | Aditi Mehra | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 2014 | Happy Ending | Vishakha | |
| 2015 | Margarita with a Straw | Laila | National Film Award – Special Jury Award |
| Waiting | Tara Deshpande | ||
| Un plus une | Herself | Cameo | |
| Kaash | Elsbeth | Cameo | |
| 2016 | Freedom Matters | Herself | Documentary film |
| Living Shakespeare | Herself | BBC documentary film | |
| A Death in the Gunj | Mimi | ||
| Mantra | Piya Kapoor | ||
| 2017 | Naked | Sandy | Short film |
| Jia Aur Jia | Jia | ||
| Ribbon | Sahana Mehra | ||
| The Thought of You | K | Short film | |
| Azmaish: A Journey Through the Subcontinent | Herself | Documentary film | |
| 2018 | The Job | Christina | |
| 2019 | Gully Boy | Shweta/Sky | |
| Kadakh | Francoise Marie | ||
| CandyFlip | Emily | ||
| Nerkonda Paarvai | Herself | Tamil film debut; Cameo | |
| 2020 | Paava Kadhaigal | Penelope | Tamil debut in anthology Segment: Love Panna Uttranum |
| 2022 | Goldfish | Anamika Fields | |
| 2023 | Emma and Angel | Emma | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Man's World | Promotion announcer | Cameo |
| 2016 | Kalki's Great Escape | Herself/host | |
| Shockers | Unnamed | Episode: "Home At Last" | |
| 2018 | Smoke | Tara | |
| 2019 | Made in Heaven | Faiza Naqvi | |
| Sacred Games | Batya Abelman | Season 2 | |
| Bhram | Alisha Khanna |
| Bio | |
| Profession(s) | Actress, Screenwriter |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in Feet Inches- 5' 7" |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 53 Kg in Pounds- 117 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Amber |
| Hair Colour | Light Brown |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 10 January 1984 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 39 Years |
| Birthplace | Pondicherry (or Puducherry) |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India |
| School | Hebron School, Ooty |
| College | Goldsmiths, University of London |
| Educational Qualification | Studied Drama and Theatre |
| Debut | Film Debut: Dev D (2009) |
| Family | Father- Joel Koechlin Mother- Françoise Armandie Sister- N/A Brother- Oriel Koechlin |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Hobbies | Dancing, reading |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Pista, Pizza, Italian, Chinese, Indian |
| Actor | Raj Kapoor, Kamal Hassan |
| Actress | Rekha, Kalpana |
| Film | Dev D, Water, Dweepa |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Husband | Anurag Kashyap (Ex-husband) |
| Children | Son: None Daughter: Sappho (Born on 07-02-2020; From her boyfriend, Guy Hershberg) |
,-Biography,-Wiki,-Age,-Boyfriend-&-More-134.jpg "Surabhi-Samriddhi Mehra (Chinky Minky), Biography, Wiki, Age, Boyfriend & More")
