Here Comes the Bride

Looking pretty in slim fit trousers and an off-white shirt,Kalki was glowing with happiness. Showing off her engagement ring,a simple but traditional gold band,she enthused,“This is my grandmother’s wedding ring and I had decided that when I get married I would wear it. Anurag remembered and just before our engagement,he went to my mother and got that ring from her. Isn’t he very sweet?” Sure. Love does that to you.

However,what’s shocking is that the already slim n’ trim Kalki has become even more thin,if that’s possible. “Yeah,I know,” she smiles looking at her hands as if to make sure. So,is she hankering for a size zero? “Not at all,it’s the hectic work schedule of the last four months that’s led to my weight loss,” she sighs. Now that all her films are ready,and she is tying the knot,hopefully,Anurag will see to it that she’s back to her normal size.

On the professional front,Kalki’s hattrick starts with Shaitan which hits the theatres on June 10. Produced by Anurag,the film is helmed by debutant director Bejoy Nambiar. A psychological thriller,it has Kalki playing a young NRI girl Amrita Jaishankar (Amy) who falls into bad company when she comes to India with her father. Initially,shown to be a lonely geeky girl,she turns into a hard-core party type who experiments with drugs,sex,the works — thanks to her hi-profile friends. Pictures of her smooching a girl were recently splashed in papers but Kalki is unperturbed. “The media loves sensational stuff,so they highlight these kind of pictures,” she shrugs. By now,she is used to being in the news for her bold scenes. Earlier too,there were reports of her doing steamy scenes in That Girl In The Yellow Boots,which were leaked on the Internet. “There’s nothing steamy about it,I am fully clothed and it’s just one kiss,” she dismisses it. The film that has her playing a British girl Ruth who comes in search of her father to Mumbai and gets sucked into the city’s underbelly has won rave reviews at many international film festivals. Currently,Anurag who has directed the film is in talks with a production house for its distribution and release in India.

While That Girl In The Yellow Boots is a journey to find her roots,Shaitan is the psychological journey of Kalki’s character. “All the so-called good people have a shaitan lurking in them which is why the film is called Shaitan,” she smiles. The timid Amrita changes her persona superficially but underneath remains a fragile,lonely girl. Promos of the film show Kalki cutting her wrists among other disturbing visuals.

Was it difficult enacting the scene,we query? “Not really,it is technical and we are more concerned about the button that has to be pressed to pump the blood! However,the climax,which I cannot reveal,was traumatising. I had to shed a lot of tears and my eyes were completely swollen like golf balls after shooting continuously for 22 hours. On the whole,however,I had to push myself and see to it that I remained in character and not become Kalki,” explains the actress who will be seen in the film in a short sharp hairdo a la Victoria Beckham. She will be sporting black outfits,black eyeshadow and big bangles projecting a Goth look.

In contrast,her next outing My Friend Pinto has her playing a innocent wide-eyed sweet girl. “Since it’s my first comedy which is why I am excited about it. The characters are larger than life and cute like cartoons. Even the way of acting is different from other films,” gushes Kalki who plays the love interest of Prateik. She dubs it as a Walt Disney kind of an animation film,“where even the serious subjects are taken in a light-hearted manner”. As for her co-star Prateik,Kalki describes him as a sincere,hard working actor who is sometimes “lost in his own world”. Elaborating on his dedication,Kalki narrates an incident where they were shooting for a song for 16 hours non-stop and due to some technical reason,it was not being okayed. “All of us were dead tired by the end of it,but Prateik insisted on getting it right and giving the perfect take,” she says appreciatively.

While Kalki has been part of small budget films since her debut in Dev.D,Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara that releases on July 15 will be her first big-budget multi-star project. And the actress is looking forward to it. “I had been wanting to work with Zoya (Akhtar) because she doesn’t stereotype her characters and is good with emotions. That’s the reason I took it up though the role is not that substantial. It is essentially the story of three guys Hrithik Roshan,Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar,” she confesses. So,is the film like Hangover as it is being reported. “Hangover is about three guys who get drunk and have fun. Here it’s about three guys finding their personalities,kind of growing up,” she explains adding that the film has a lot of comedy,little romance and fun. “It’s an uplifting film,” says Kalki who is more excited about being seen in chic,elegant dresses that are usually seen on the Paris catwalk. “I am looking damn hot in beautiful designer wear,” enthuses the actress who is teamed up with her Dev.D co-star Abhay Deol.

Though she is two-film old,Kalki hasn’t had to shake a leg so far. That is set to change with Zindagi Na … which will have her doing some typical filmi jhatkas. “I had a tough time matching steps with Hrithik for a retro song. Everyone laughed at Abhay and me when we were dancing though Abhay is a better dancer than me,” chuckles Kalki. Nevertheless,the actors had a great time bonding on the sets. “We shot in Spain,every night all of us would go out for dinner and have fun,” she lets on.

Apart from films,the unconventional actress will be seen in a new play The Real Inspector Hound,a murder mystery with a twist written by Tom Stoppard. Without revealing the plot,Kalki,who has a passion for theatre,shares that she plays the lady of the house. The play will be staged towards the end of July for which rehearsals are currently on.

Kalki,who has had a successful Dev.D and the forgettable Emotional Atyachar (with Ranvir Shorey),is chilled out. Talking about Emotional.. which was a disaster,the actress tongue firmly in her cheek says,“Everyone has to have a No Smoking. You live and learn.” The pretty actress,who has created a unique space for herself in Bollywood films ,is now poised for a bigger flight personally and professionally.