My love was very immature as a teenager: Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin and director Shonali Bose would both tell you their new film Margarita With A Straw is their biggest challenge in life yet.
Kalki Koechlin and director Shonali Bose would both tell you their new film Margarita With A Straw is their biggest challenge in life yet.
"I am as excited as I am terrified. It is the biggest thing in my life yet. With this film I was very conscious to ensure that it was not treated as a disability film. I am not going to an awareness film unless something specific comes up in the story. Am going to talk of a character about any person in this world who has to learn and accept themselves," revealed Shonali, on Koel Purie Rinchet's chat show, Couching With Koel, where they turned out to promote the film.
Playing a wheelchair-bound teenager exploring her sexuality, Kalki recalled her own teenage on the show. "My love was very immature as a teenager. I would madly fall in love with any boy who gave me attention, and then want to marry him, have his children, and I would write poetry. Two weeks later I was not ready for it. I had braces and was a geek, so I was thrilled whenever I got attention."
"As a teenager, one's entire self-esteem is tied with how one looks. If your body is not perfect then it is a pressure for all people, able-bodied and the disabled," said Shonali, who was inspired to make the film by a cousin with cerebral palsy.
"I remember asking my cousin Malini what she wanted on her 40th birthday and she said 'sex'. I realised the issue of physical intimacy can become such a taboo if you are disabled," said Shonali.
"It is important to have conversation on sex at home. I come from a liberal family and remember my mother talking of contraception," pitched in Kalki.
"A lot of people did not recognise me and thought I was really suffering from cerebral palsy. So there was lot of staring, lot of caring, lot of being very awkward. I sensed lack of awareness among common people about the disabled," said Kalki.
Answering to an audience question Shonali rued the plight of the disabled in Bollywood. "It is extremely hard for disabled actors to get a role. I wanted somebody to play the roles of people affected by cerebral palsy and blindness. But you have to be a brilliant actor. I auditioned actors for the role. I cannot patronise someone only because of their disability."
(Couching With Koel airs on Saturdays 9.30pm; and on Sundays 11.30am & 11.30pm)