Kalki Koechlin was born to French parents in a small village in Pondicherry. Her parents had come to India as hippies in the 1970s and settled there after they fell in love with the country. Her parents are devotees of Sri Aurobindo.Kalki was studying in Ooty when her parents insisted that she attend university. She studied drama and theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she also worked with a theater company called Theatre of Relativity for two years. She performed in various plays, including David Hare’s “The Blue Room,”” Marivaux’s “”The Dispute,”” and a devised play called “”The Rise of the Wild Hunt”” during her two-year stint with the theater group.Kalki later decided to move to Mumbai to try her luck in Indian cinema. She was doing modeling assignments for television commercials before being shortlisted for the role of Chandramukhi (Chanda) in Dev.D (2009). Kalki, who can speak Tamil, English, and French, had to learn Hindi to prepare for her role in Dev.D (2009). She was apprehensive about how people would judge her after seeing her in the role.She won The Hindu’s 2009 MetroPlus Playwright Award, along with Prashant Prakash, for their co-authored entry “”Skeleton Woman.”” Kalki also acted in the play “”Hair”” directed by Ajay Krishnan.”
Kalki Koechlin
Movies
Dev D
Dev who, after spurning Paro’s love due to a misunderstanding, turns to drugs and vodka for solace. Paro moves on but Dev still is in remorse. He meets Chanda, a prostitute with problems of her own. Dev likes her but his penchant for self-destruction prevents him and Chanda from truly…
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
When a small town girl Badki (Rani Mukerji) from Banaras lands in the big bad city of Mumbai to earn an honest living for her family back home – things don’t go exactly as she hoped. When her kid sister Chutki (Konkona Sen Sharma) comes face to face and her…
Ek Thi Daayan
Bobo is a popular and talented illusionist, but he is haunted by his past. When disturbing hallucinations cause him to become distracted during his stage show, he seeks the help of a psychiatrist. Through hypnosis, he is able to recall suppressed memories of his childhood. In his youth, Bobo suspected…
Shaitan
After the passing of her mother, and the entry of a step-mother, Amrita Jayshankar retreats into herself. Her father is summoned to her school and is told that his daughter may require counseling, but he refuses to believe and instead makes a donation to the school. Then Amrita meets with…
Songs
My Friend Pinto
Twenty-something Michael Pinto has grown up in a small Goan village, believing everyone in the world to be simple, kind and honest, just like him. His world revolves around a doting mother, a passion for music and the memories of a childhood friend, Sameer, who left Goa for Mumbai many…
Bhram
A car accident turns Alisha Khanna’s life upside down. The bestselling romance writer moves to Shimla to her sister’s place in order to start over. However, she starts getting visions of a girl. At first, she dismisses it as hallucinations due to her PTSD. However, she finds out that the…
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Fun Facts
Koechlin speaks Tamil, English, French, and Hindi.
She is a descendant of Maurice Koechlin (1856-1946), a Swiss structural engineer who, as the managing director of Gustave Eiffel's Compagnie des Establissments Eiffel, contributed to the construction of the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
Began a relationship with director Anurag Kashyap after the first film they worked on together, Dev.D (2009), was released. They were married in April 2011. In November 2013, Koechlin and Kashyap issued a joint statement announcing they were separating. In May 2015, they divorced.
She won the Best Supporting Actress at the Global Indian Film and TV Awards in 2012 for the role she played in Shaitan (2011).
Younger brother named Oriel.
Was good friends with actress Kali Sudhra at one point while living abroad.
Canadian actress Kali Sudhra chose the screen name "Kali"" as she is big fan of actress Kalki and Hindu goddess Kaali."