Quotes from Kalki Koechlin

Theatre is my first love; I would not have done it if I didn't love it and certainly not for the money - you really have to believe in it.

When your private life has been dragged into public space, you tend to attain a zen-like composure.

I don't want to choose between commercial and independent cinema. I just want to choose between a good film and a bad film.

Every role that one does - at least, that's what happens in my case - becomes a sort of therapy.

Theatre is something that keeps me very alert, and I am actively creating whether I am on stage or directing. In films, I feel I become more of an introvert, going deeper in the realism of a character.

Woody Allen's sense of humour has always attracted me, and I love the way he can make life so meaningful and yet show us what a farce it can be at the same time.

I do like to dress up, and I love to go for red carpet events and look my best, but I have to be comfortable, and I don't want to wear make-up when I am taking a flight.

Often, we hide our personality and are afraid of bringing it out in our clothes. So, I think when people are fashionable, they are able to express themselves.

I will say that my style sense is very mercurial. There are days when I love to be all comfy, relaxed in casual wear, and there are days when I go all matching, matching.

In your 20s, you are worried about body issues, your weight, how you are dressed. In your 30s, you're like, 'Oh my God, I am getting old. I am going to enjoy everything.'

My mom was very worried when I was starting off my career in the film industry. She never told me to not take up acting, but she would always tell me to have a backup plan so that if nothing works out in the acting career, then I can switch.

As a teenager, I was very awkward in my skin. I was never in the cool gang. I had braces and was quite the geek as well as a tomboy.

I don't work for awards; they're just an icing on the cake.

I don't even mind playing a bimbo or a silly girl, as long as it isn't stereotyped and there's a reason for that character to be part of the story.

I, for one, personally like rom-coms, silly rom-coms, but at the same time, I also want to watch a documentary or an award-winning drama.

I do not differentiate between a commercial and an indie project as long as there is a strong subject and the character in the script is relatable.

Now I know Hindi, and I can read and write Hindi, but the problem is that I can't improvise when I am acting because I think in English, so I have to translate my thinking from English to Hindi, and therefore, I speak slowly.

Once I got married, I was only invited to the things that Anurag was invited to. People would say, 'Call Anurag's wife.' They wouldn't say, 'call Kalki' or 'call Kalki's husband.'

I'm from a small town where the pace of life is slow.

It is enough if I can be relevant. It is more about me keeping up with youngsters than influencing youngsters. So I just want to stay relevant, really.

Everybody should read 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut. This book is about the hypocrisy of war, told in satire, and is hard-hitting and truthful.

Being a feminist means asking for equality. But people take it the other way at times. It is looked down upon is because it is seen as man-hating. But, feminism is a really crazy idea that suggests men and women are equal.

I feel, at times, women in India go beyond their comfort zone just to clad the trend, and that automatically becomes a faux pas. If you are not comfortable with something, please don't wear it.

I want to work with as many directors as possible because with each director, you learn something new.