NEW DELHI: She is a one-of-a-kind actor, a writer and an activist and she juggles these triple roles with utmost passion. But Kalki Koechlin says she is too invested in acting right now to fully take on any another role.
On World Music Day last week, the 33-year-old actress released a video, ‘Noise’, loaded with slam poetry penned by her, that deftly shows how we, as people, have lost our voices in the din of information explosion.
“I write and experiment a lot in theatre. Many people have asked me to write a novel. But right now, it seems like a daunting task. May be one day, I might sit down and write something. But, I can’t think of doing anything other than acting right now,” Kalki tells PTI in an interview.
From the sound of religious institutions to the commotion of daily lives, the over-seven-minute-long video is a heavy piece of art.
The video addresses the black hole of noise, engulfing the individual voice.
This is not the first time Kalki has written a poem that calls out an issue. Her ‘It’s Your Fault’ and ‘We The People’ garnered both attention and page views.
The actress, who was last seen in Konkona Sensharma’s directorial debut “A Death In The Gunj”, says she wants the people “to find a little bit of quiet” through ‘Noise’.
“I hope after watching the video, people would switch off their phones or keep them on silent. Downloading your thoughts would be more ideal rather than focusing on your reactions.”
She says deadlines make her work better and it was the sword dangling over her head that made her deliver this poem that has got people listening, not talking.
Kalki says she enjoys working despite being overtly self-critical.
“I just find that we end up doing other stuff. Like I’m an actor and I’m supposed to be rehearsing. So, this project was about reminding oneself of that.
“But instead, I often see myself Instagramming, honouring my leftover commitments of endorsements or going to talk at the NGOs. I think to myself ‘what is the essence of what I do, how do I get back?’ So sometimes all you have to do is switch off your phone, read a book, get back to the routine of ‘riyaaz’.”
The actress also appeared to be in a self-introspective mode in the video as she comments about dealing with fame and body image issues.
“I was called a Russian actress when ‘Dev D’ came out. People wrote stuff about me without even taking to me. They presumed things and printed stories without any credible information.
“But now I take criticism from people who matter to me. Experience has taught me. When a stranger says something about me, it tends to become mostly subjective. We, as actors, are not perfect. If we achieved perfection, we would stop working.”
With an almost rap-like rhythm by Ankur Shrivastava put together by Akanksha Seda in backdrop of innumerable images from daily life, the video aptly suggests the overload of sensory information.
Do such campaigns really help or are they just another form of ‘noise’?
Kalki answers it with a question, “How can we know? We may know in another 20 years. We have to find some meaning in our lives and do something. I think when you decide to do something, either you do it or you don’t.
“There’s no guarantee that it will work, or that people will change or understand but I think we are here to share who we are and understand.” (AGENCIES)
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