‘Want to be a commercially viable actress’

Proving her mettle in content- driven films like Margarita, With A Straw, Girl in Yellow Boots and Shaitan is not enough for Kalki Koechlin as the actress says she is yet to become marketable enough for producers to risk their money on her.

Kalki, 31, said though her latest film Margarita, With A <g data-gr-id="38">Straw</g> earned decent success at the box-office, she is yet to reach the stage where she can pick and choose her films.

“Honestly, it takes at least a year after the film’s release for people to even conceive that you are marketable. Right now it is too early to say,” Kalki said when asked if the success of Margarita... has helped her become commercially viable.

“I am right now at a stage where I have a lot of <g data-gr-id="42">scripts</g> but I still cannot pull in producers because I want to do a film. They still want a bigger star, some songs or something else so it takes time. But it is much easier for me to do small-budget films than it used to be. It is a long marathon,” the actress told the media. Six-year-old in the industry, Kalki says she has finally adjusted to the extensive films promotions, which have become a necessity today.

“I have reluctantly found myself to become a big promoter of films. In the beginning, I was not. I was more carefree about it. But I realise the importance of it. It is a necessary evil.” 

The Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani actress now looks forward to Soni Razdan’s period romantic drama, Love Affair, which also stars Ali Fazal and Gulshan Devaiah. 

“Love affair is a period film set in 50s. My character is a married woman, who has an extra-marital affair with someone. Her husband kills that man and the murder trial forms this interesting story.” 

Praising the “emotional” story of the film, the actress said it deals with the complexity of relationships and morality.

“It is about what love is, whether it is justified to kill somebody for love, all these questions about morality and relationships. It is emotional and beautifully written by Soni. It is written from the woman’s point of view. Everyone has shades of grey in the film.”