'Zoya is one of my favourites'

Actor Kalki Koechlin says she wants equal rights for men and women and if the society was matriarchal, she would have been a ‘meninist’. The 32-year-old ‘Margarita with a Straw’ star said definition of feminism is misinterpreted at times and she thinks there is a need to make a video defining the term correctly.

“I think we need to make a nice simple video defining feminism. Everyone is a feminist. If you are not a feminist, you are a bad human being. Being a feminist means asking for equality. But people take it in other way at times,’’ she said.

“Anyone, who believes men and women are equal, is a feminist. If we would have been living in a matriarchal society I would be a meninist fighting for equal rights of men,’’ she added. The actor, who is quite active on social media and uses it to promote the issue of gender equality, praised the platform for being a space to voice opinions.

“Social media is great. I find it very useful. It allows the freedom to give your opinion and cuts away the middle man. You can really say what you want to say, but at the same time there are people, who right a lot of bad stuff on it. I find it useful to promote my theatre, stay connected to my fans. But, when I am shooting a film I go off the social media,’’ she said.

Kalki, who was in the capital to promote her new release ‘Waiting’, which is again a non-commercial project, said she is not getting offers for typical commercial movies.

“I have not been offered any commercial film. I would love to do one soon. Zoya is one of my favourites. I love how her characters grow and how she weaves their back story without even showing it.’’

“When I sign a commercial film, I go through the script. Firstly, I need to be sure if I can pull off the character offered. Secondly, the bond I share with the director, being able to understand them is important,’’ she said.

‘Waiting’, directed by Anu Menon, also stars veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki, who has previously worked with him in ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ shared a great camaraderie with the actor. “During ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ I was nervous. I was not that prepared. Probably now I am a better actor than I was at that time. This time, we had a really good chemistry. We are good friends. We keep discussing theatre. He wants to direct me on stage but nothing solid is there,’’ she said.

Praising the 66-year-old actor, Kalki said working with him is easier because of his command over his art. “Half of acting is reacting so your job becomes easier when you have a brilliant actor like Naseeruddin Shah. Just observing him is amazing. I have learned that he argues for the truth of character. Sometimes, I blindly follow the character, I have learned to argue with my director,’’ she said.