Every single time that I hear the words ‘Kalki Koechlin‘ from any possible source in my vicinity, you can be assured I WILL be there to opine, discuss, and contribute to the conversation that involves the actress who first stole our hearts as the bold and the beautiful Chanda in DevD. An outsider who felt like she didn’t belong, Kalki found home in this country, creating her niche in the industry and making it her own, while giving all of us legit reasons to aspire to become true feminists at heart.
Not one to shy away from having her voice heard on issues that mattered the most to her, Kalki Koechlin has been the beacon of feminism, especially for Indian women, and on her birthday, here are some of the most iconic moments where we couldn’t be more proud of the woman she is in the industry. Find out which type of feminist you are here.
1. When she nailed satire on the head with this amazing AIB sketch on how rape, thanks to the popular concept of victim-blaming, is a woman’s fault
2. When she had all her statistics in place and did not mince words for the ‘Why India Needs Feminism’ campaign
Source: Caleidoscope
3. When she gave us this powerful piece about the scathing media churning hungry headlines about the state of women in the country
4. When she went out of her comfort zone to portray characters that left a lasting impression on the audience
5. When she went onstage at the India Today Conclave on Women’s Day in 2014 and delivered this masterpiece that had us giving her a standing ovation with tears in our eyes
6. When her performance in the short film Naked showed us that women, no matter the profession or age, will never free from judgment or hypocrisy, especially in the media
7. When she stood up for gender equality and made movies that highlighted issues that we related to and felt deeply about, as women, and as adults of this generation
8. When she stood in solidarity with thousands of women around the world who had been affected by sexual harassment in their lives
9. When she was all about unapologetically embracing yourself and gave us some #BFF goals with Richa Chadda in Jia Aur Jia
10. When she gave her unwavering support to gender equality and shouted it out loud for those at the back!
Happy Birthday, Kalki! And thank you for inspiring us to be the best versions of ourselves!