I was stereotyped as a 'white girl' says Kalki Koechlin...

What makes a woman beautiful? Did you ever agonize about whether or not you were beautiful?

Confidence is what makes a woman beautiful. But, everyone has doubts, we're all human. Even as an actor, you have days when you haven't slept enough, you don't feel like you're good enough or pretty enough and there's that one spot right in the middle of your nose, when you're supposed to do a very important close-up scene. But ultimately, it's all about attitude. You must live with a little abandon and not be self-concious. You ought to stop staring at yourself in the mirror, and just smile a little!

Did you ever consider doing things to change the way you look?
I've never thought of changing the way I look. I don't believe in surgery; it scares me. I believe you ought to be in control of who you are. If you start changing one thing, then you have to change everything and every aspect of yourself to match it, there's no limit. Instead, I try to be healthier. In my 20s, I was nonchalant about my skin; but now, in my early 30s, I have noticed a change in my body. Hence, my diet has changed, I have a lot more fruits and vegetables and I drink more water and green tea or else my skin looks too tired. I consciously take care of things like these. 

Do you think you have to look good to feel good or is it the other way around?
I think it's a fine balance of both, you need to feel good to look good and vice-versa. At times, I've found myself not taking care of my physical appearence; then I don't feel good about myself. It's like when you take up a sport or start looking after your body, through yoga or exercise, it helps you physically whilst increasing your confident. It also releases enzymes in your brain, making you more positive. Thus, it's all connected.

So Kalki, we heard you're the new face of Olay, tell us about your association with the brand.
They came to me with a proposal,'First try our product, see if you like it and then decide'. That was really important for me—to try the product before making the decision of going on board. For four weeks, I applied Olay to my skin and saw what it did to me. It's a good cream, it helps my skin look younger and gives it a nice glow. I am happy to be associated with them.

Describe your beauty regimen.
I am a very 'no fuss' person. I am too busy to do anything with my skin. I generally use a cleanser, a day cream and a night cream. As for a moisturiser, the Olay Total Effects Day Cream does it all. 

Do you think make-up is merely a mask? 
It depends; make-up is a tricky thing. It can become a mask if it is thick, applied in abundance or done badly. I use very little base and if a make-up artist uses a translucent base, he passes the test! Minimal make-up allows you to see the skin and the person behind the make-up. It's important for your face to retain a certain amount of naturalness.
Make-up can also do wonderful things, by opening up your eyes with a little mascara. For an actor, it can define a character or a personality that you're playing. For example, you can define a negative character with very dark eye shadow.

Have you ever been a victim of "women should be" stereotypes? Could you share your experiences?
I have been a victim of stereotypes in my teenage years, in India. I was labelled as a 'white girl'; the idea of a white girl being someone with 'low-morals'. A lot of people assumed that since I was white, I was easy to flirt with. Also, when you're a Bollywood actress, people think that you 'party-all-night' and you won't do any work. You have to break that image. For example, whenever I move into a new place, my neighbours are a little stand-offish around me. I have to go and knock their doors, break that ice and show them that I am a normal person just like them, so we all have our stereotypes.

What stereotypes do you think are the most damaging to women? 
There are too many. If a woman is loud or laughs loudly, she is considered flirtatious or easier. If she is in a traditional outfit, she is simple or not intelligent. We assume things about her just by the way she dresses or talks. At the end, whatever masks or costumes we wear, we're all just human!

Is education enough to empower women? What are the other essentials?
Educating women is important to empower them, but educating society—our communities, our police, our teachers, our people is also important. We need to create more effective laws and our existing laws need to be implemented better.

You mentioned laws, could you please mention which ones?
We need to implement laws for the safety of a woman and create better laws to prevent marital rape—if you're married and you get raped by your husband, it's not considered rape. That's shocking!

Do you see a shift in the way Indian cinema portrays women?
Recent films have been interesting. There is a certain awareness that women-oriented films can work and that women can play interesting roles too. Queen was a big hit this year, as was Kahaani and Mary Kom. We have more and more women in lead roles. 

Are women still treated like a commodity in the film industry? SRK set a trend by ensuring his co-actress's name appears on the screen before the actor's. Do you think it makes a difference or is it purely a marketing gimmick?
Sure we are. As for SRK ensuring his co-actress’s name appears before him, I think it's a good gesture. But essentially, I think it’s not just crediting women before men that matters, but crediting them as equals, with equal payments too.

Why do you choose off-beat roles?
My roles, although unconventional, always portray women in a strong light. I enjoy doing unconventional roles, but I don’t choose them consciously. I always look for roles that are substantial and have an impact of some kind. It doesn’t have to be positive. I can be annoying as well, like the character I played in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. As long as a character is not overly stereotyped, you can play any character. I realise that I have young girls as fans and I feel it’s very important for me to be a good role model. More so, these are the sort of roles which are offered to me. It’s not like I’m opposed to glamorous roles or anything, but it’s easy to be intense.I just stare and tears roll down. I love the rush that comes from playing characters that are powerful and unstoppable in their own way. Dancing and looking pretty is a completely different ball game. 

What motivates you to stay with theatre even after doing well in Bollywood?
I can’t leave the stage—it’s my gym as an actor. Just as some actors go to gyms to build muscle, I go to the stage to improve my acting. Even now, I always go to the loo before I perform. I get the runs when I’m nervous, because it’s a live audience. Nothing can beat being in front of other human beings and giving to them and taking from them as well. It’s like a play between actor and audience; every show is different, every single one. Your film—once it’s done, it’s done; there’s nothing you can do to change it. Your play changes every night, depending on your audience. If it’s an older audience there will be sedate laughter and you’ll be a little more serious. If it’s a younger audience, you may be more playful. I enjoy theatre; it really is an actor’s playground. Physically, we do vocal exercises. Our diction gets better and our voice projection improves. Your body moves so much on stage, you’ve got to be light on your toes, and you’ve got to know what to do next if the audience doesn’t laugh at a punchline! 

What motivated you to get into performance poetry?
I’ve been writing poetry since I was a child, and I’ve been on stage for over ten years, so it made sense to combine both.

What makes a man a man? 
A real man is one who is aware of his power and his shortcomings, is able to admit to being wrong and can laugh at himself, or cry. A man is someone who is strong, but doesn’t need to prove it.