Kalki Koechlin's brilliant portrayal of a vivacious girl with cerebral palsy in "Margarita With A Straw" garnered acclaim from everyone but the actress was particularly touched by Vidya Balan's emotional response to her role. Recalling Vidya's response, Kalki said, "We did the screening of the film with Siddharth (Roy Kapur) and Vidya (Balan) in attendance. After watching the film, they both came out teary-eyed. They hugged me and left. They didn't utter a single word to me."
She, however, got a call from the "Kahaani" star the next day. "She (Vidya) called me and we spoke for 40 minutes over phone. She said 'I am sorry I couldn't articulate because I was so emotional last night but I just wanted to say that you have inspired me to another level as an actor'," Kalki told PTI. The "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" star said being a part of the disability drama, which released on April 17, has changed her mindset towards the issue.
"I didn't know anything about disability or cerebral palsy before I did this film. It was a huge awareness for me.
I learnt how frustrating it is to be a disable person in our country due to lack of access. As an actor, I also realised that if you take so much time to prepare for a character it becomes your habit," said Kalki. The actress waited for almost nine months for the role in the Shonali-Bose directed movie and it took her some six months to get into the character. "Every film you do, you do it for other reason because you believe in the story and you get excited about the process and preparation in getting into the skin of the character. Those are the basis on which I do a film.
"So, I can't predict or understand which film will get an award because you are only a small part. A good film is relied on great director, other actors and music. You can't control that outcome as an actor. But it's a great encouragement." Kalki will also start shooting director Mahesh Bhatt's wife Soni Razdan's second film "Love Affair", a period drama, with Gulshan Devaiah and Ali Fazal. "I am very excited to start shooting the film because it's a period film and that means again a lot of preparation," she said.
Apart from "Love Affair", she is reteaming with actor Naseeruddin Shah in "Waiting". They have worked together in "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and "That Girl In Yellow Boots".
