Kalki Koechlin Recalls Being Denied Award Show Entry For Arriving In A Swift: ‘My Dress Was Bigger Than The Car’

Kalki Koechlin shared a different perspective on investing heavily in maintaining a glamorous persona to increase visibility and secure more opportunities.

In the competitive world of Bollywood, building a strong public image often goes hand in hand with showcasing talent. Many actors invest heavily in maintaining a glamorous persona to increase visibility and secure more opportunities.

However, in a recent conversation, Kalki Koechlin shared a different perspective, revealing that she consciously chooses not to indulge in such image-building practices, even though she’s seen many of her peers go to great lengths—sometimes sacrificing basic comforts—to appear a certain way.

Kalki Koechlin on living life on her own terms

In a candid chat on the YouTube channel Aleena Dissects, Kalki recalled, “For years I reached the Filmfare award in my Swift and my dress would be bigger than the car. They wouldn’t let my car go inside the venue and they would stop it, and then I would have to show my invite and tell them, ‘It’s me.'”

Despite such incidents, Kalki said her choices have never shaken her resolve to live life on her own terms. “It’s just who I am and the freedom and everything else that I want in life. I don’t want that because I want to be spontaneous with my life and just do things on my own. When you don’t have an entourage there is less chance to be spotted, and it is less likely for 100 people to follow you. The only problem is airports. I have dedicated that 1.5 hour at the airport to my fans because it is back-to-back selfies.”

On image building and PR

When asked whether image-building and PR are essential for relevance in the film industry and whether her approach affects the kind of work she gets, Kalki admitted, “It is important to a certain degree. If you are a big actor, safety is a big issue, there are some crazy people out there especially after big stars, so I understand the need for some people to have bodyguards and PR.”

She also pointed out how far some go to maintain appearances. “I know people who live in a tiny 1BHK but they have an Audi. They will come to meetings in an Audi with a driver but they live in a tiny hole. But for me, freedom is really important. I too spend money but on living in a beautiful house in Goa and flying to and fro to Mumbai. I spend all my money there.”