Exclusive! Kalki Koechlin on stalking Pankaj Tripathi to prep for Batya Abelman in Sacred Games 2 and more...

Life seems to have come full circle for Kalki Koechlin with her latest web series. The actress debuted with Anurag Kashyap’s Dev.D in 2009 and a decade later, she has a major role in the show, which the filmmaker has co-directed with Neeraj Ghaywan. “The years have gone by so fast! But I still have lots to do,” she enthuses. At the moment, the actress is in news for her turn of Batya Abelman, a Palestinian-Jewish follower of Guruji essayed by Pankaj Tripathi, in the sophomore season of the Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer. She is filming for her upcoming web series, Bhram, in Himachal Pradesh, and hasn’t watched the series seamlessly or followed the feedback to her portrayal. “I’ve been a little out of it because of the network situation here. I watched the episodes while the scenes were still loading. It was frustrating but worth it,” she laughs. A chat with Kalki...

What made you take up the web series?

I’d seen the first part when I was called for an audition. It’s a well-made show that has a rawness and realness. Even the smaller characters stood out even if they weren’t the leads. I found that really cool. The second season is different from the first. It’s a progression that goes into a more intellectual and deeper space, which I liked.

Batya does not figure in Vikram Chandra’s book. How did you prep for it?

Thank God, it’s not in the book otherwise I would have had to read 1,000 pages (laughs)! Varun (Grover) is a fantastic writer and he was hands-on, explaining things to me all the time. He gave me a backstory just so that I could prepare. But I also stalked Pankajji. I would follow him – listen to his lectures, watch all his shots.

What was it like working with Saif Ali Khan after Happy Ending (2014)?

It was really fun. We had a great time trying to figure out this creepy yet slightly vulnerable relationship that we have, sharing our insecurities with each other. Neeraj was lovely in terms of directing us.

(Pic: Colston Julian)

You’re doing a lot of web series — Shockers, Smoke, Made in Heaven in the past and now Bhram...

It’s just that mediums are changing. I’m trying to keep up with it (laughs). I don’t really plan it like that. I still get 10 film scripts and out of those, nine are bad! It’s just that content is coming from different directions.

Why do you end up rejecting the offers?

Actors get put into a box after a role. There are certain limitations because I look like a foreigner. I won’t be able to take up some kinds of roles.

Do you regret that?

No, it’s my job to consciously find projects that challenge me and make me do something I haven’t done before. Everyone needs to push the boundaries. And I get to act in a project like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) and then I’m also offered Margarita with a Straw (2015), which is completely different. I try to keep that variety in mind.

What about security as an actor?

I’m lucky that there’s enough coming from other fronts. I do theatre, I have my podcast Kalki Presents: My Indian Life and endorsements. There are times when you choose something purely for the platform. I’d always say yes to Farhan and Zoya Akhtar’s production because they’re organised and they usually have a guaranteed good release. There are some practical choices you make but I wouldn’t say that’s my main priority; it’s always interesting work.

In retrospect, how have the 10 years in the industry been?

They have been eclectic. I feel lucky to have worked with such different kinds of directors — really mainstream ones like Ayan Mukerji (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) and Zoya (Gully Boy) and then you have Anurag and Dibakar Banerjee (Shanghai, 2012) apart from completely new directors Konkona Sensharma (A Death in the Gunj, 2017) or Rakhee Sandilya (Ribbon, 2017).

Are there films you wish you hadn’t done?

Yeah, but I don’t like to mention them like that. Though, after each movie, I feel I could have done it better and there’s always room for improvement. Then again, that’s the point. If you think you’ve done a role perfectly, you’d retire.

And a movie you are proud of?

Margarita with a Straw. It was not an easy film to shoot but when I look back, it taught me so much. It has made me sensitive to the plight of disability. It made me alert to the amount of rehearsal you can do. I practised for six months and the character became a part of me. So much so that after the film, when I’d go out for a drink, I’d find myself grabbing a straw.

Gully Boy was a smash hit this year. Has it led to more projects in mainstream cinema?

No, nothing that I have signed on yet. I loved that film. Zoya makes really interesting movies and the script was so strong.

What else do you have in the pipeline?

I’m mainly focussing on my podcast — doing research for season two for the next two months. Then, there’s a play coming up end of this year, which is the modernised version of Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov.