Kalki Koechlin

Lakshmi Pratury: So Kalki, I wanna talk about identity. Hmm. What is identity to you? I mean, you have, you have Hmm.

Amazing mix of backgrounds to be here. So tell me your background and your mix and your identity. Kalki Koechlin: If I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Right now, I have no idea. I As you know, I was born in South India. My parents are both French, but I grew up all my life in India, lived here all my life.

They've been here for 40 years. So basically, my skin is white and my heart is brown. Lakshmi Pratury: Do you ever have situations where somebody says something in Yeah.

Not knowing you understand Kalki Koechlin: Very often. I mean, I've had very entertaining conversations happen right in front of me. Two boys, you know, commenting on me, saying, you know.

And not, I mean, they can be taken as flattering or slightly, you know, lewd comments that they'll be making about me. And then at the end of their conversation, I'll say something in Tamil, and their jaw drops open and they're like, "Oh my God."

So yeah, that happens. That happens, quite a lot. Yeah. Lakshmi Pratury: So you obviously are raised here, went to a boarding school.

What were you like as a kid? I mean, as, for an actor, we always think of people who are exuberant, excited, out there. Were you like the popular chick in school?

Or what were you Oh, God, no. When you were growing up? Kalki Koechlin: Not at all. I was, I was very painfully shy.

I. You know, I grew up in a school which was this British school in South India, English medium school. When I first got there, I had a French accent 'cause I was six years old, and at home I spoke French.

So I used to say things like cucumber for cucumber, and you know, people used to really make fun of that. So I quickly, like, changed that and became very, you know, normal in the way I spoke or whatever. And then, you know, my Tamil, like, sort of took a backseat as well because English was, like, cool and everything.

So there were all these things where I. You know, I was I think since a very young age trying very hard to just be what I you know, what everybody else wants me to be. I was always quiet.

I was very, you know, shy. I never really, you know, expressed what I felt and things like that. And I was, I had braces for, like, five years, so, you know, I had no chance with most of the boys.

And I think the way that I used to protect myself was by being a clown, by making people laugh, you know? So that was my kind of barrier. That was my way of, you know, making friends, and not really showing people my insecurities or what I was really inside.

Lakshmi Pratury: Yeah. So from this painfully shy girl to take one of the most daring roles in DevD, I mean, that's quite a stretch. So what was it, what made you decide you wanted to be an actress? Maybe tell us a little bit about, did you have a struggle before you wanted to become an actress, or was it easy for you?

Kalki Koechlin: It it was a long struggle. It was a long struggle convincing my mother that I'm not insane. Really from a, from a young age, I always was.