The high price of being a single woman

Single women in the city often have to face the woes of nagging landlords, housing society laws and irate neighbours. Kalki Koechelin is no stranger to the nightmare that is house hunting in Mumbai. So much so that she even took to Twitter, a few years ago, to complain about the difficulties in finding a home.

Her upcoming film, Mantra, precisely talks about this issue. Talking about her role in the film she says, “Mantra is about a Delhi girl living in her parents house and she is dying to move out. I am all of 25 in the film. I want to be independent but my father refuses to let me move out.”

The actress says that independent women are united by this common grievance across the country. “Although Mumbai is quite liberal compared to other cities but I have constantly faced problem looking for a house. Even as we are getting financially independent, society hasn’t accepted it completely. It’s frustrating, and I think we need to keep talking about it,” she explains. The 33-year-old actress will be seen essaying the daughter of Rajat Kapoor in the film.

Primarily a theatre actress, Kalki admits that she took up films, since theatre alone doesn’t pay her bills. She says, “I am somebody who can’t sit at home doing nothing. I have to keep creating; even as an actor, you have to keep working at your skills. Theatre is a saving grace. I cannot survive on my income from theatre as much as I love it. So I have to do films and advertisements. I am lucky that people want to watch the kind of work that I pick up.”

While she has made a conscious effort to pick some diverse roles on celluloid, Kalki clarifies that she would love to do a rom-com film. “I do consider myself fortunate. I am always on the lookout of good work, challenging work. I also want to take up a rom-com but these kinds of films aren’t coming my way. I think it’s important as an actress to push your boundaries,” she asserts.