Kalki Koechlin has had the most incredible journey for an actor. Her unconventional body of work and exceptional talent is what sets her apart from most of her Bollywood contemprories.
She might not be your quintessential Bollywood actress, in fact Kalki cannot boast of being a dancer at all, yet she is ahead of most of them, simply because of her incredible acting chops.
Kalki Koechlin was born to French parents in the southern part of India. From a very young age, she had been drawn to theatre and so went on to study drama at London University. There, she also worked with a local theatre group for two years.
After completing her studies, Kalki moved back to Bangalore but was unable to find work. Hence, she made her move and landed in Mumbai. Kalki found luck in the city of dreams when she met theatre directors Atul Kumar and Ajay Krishnan, who were also co-founders of a theatre company called “The Company Theatre” and who were looking for artists for a performance in Liverpool.
Later, she went on to audition for Anurag Kashyap’s Dev-D. Although he rejected her because she was not Indian and did not meet his character requirements, after looking at her audition tapes, he called her back and offered her a role.
It turned out to be her first big break as Kalki stood out in the film. The movie did well and Kalki’s role and acting was especially much appreciated. She even won her first Filmfare award for supporting actress for her debut movie.
She gained immense critical acclaim for her role in Margarita with a Straw, wherein she played a girl suffering from cerebral palsy.
Kalki has been a part of many blockbuster Bollywood movies and working alongside some big names in the industry.
She is one of the finest screen and stage actors that theatre has produced and continues to shine with her exemplary work.