Actor Kalki Koechlin has a full house when she talks to me for Earth Day. She just adopted two puppies who are ‘pooping and peeing all over the house’ but she doesn’t seem to mind because of the joy they bring to her daughter Sappho. The laid-back life she leads now with her partner Guy Hershberg in Goa is near perfect. But being a mother means she worries about the future. (Also Read: Kalki Koechlin craves to play more than just the ‘broken’ woman on screen: ‘There’s pressure to do the same thing’)
Talking to Hindustan Times, Kalki discusses everything from how she came to lead a sustainable lifestyle to what she can do as an actor to champion the cause. And even more importantly, dreaming of a world where her daughter has as much access to nature as possible and more.
Growing up surrounded by greenery and fresh air
Kalki remembers well how ‘organic’ and ‘green space’ were more than just buzzy keywords because that was just her life in Pondicherry in the ‘80s. “I was born in Auroville, and life was such that I spent my time cycling, climbing trees, jumping in water holes…we weren’t watching TV, we were outdoors instead. The products we used were locally sourced and organic; supermarkets weren’t that common anyway. I think the first TV we had at home was a Christmas gift when I was 11,” she says.
Despite her father’s business being based in Bengaluru and Coimbatore, and Kalki attending boarding school in Ooty, she remembers wearing her brother’s hand-me-downs till she was a teenager with a sense of style. “But when I was a student in London, I remember all I could afford was fast fashion. Now, I can afford to be better and to buy locally made products. The challenge is when I have to work with brands that aren’t sustainable. You can’t avoid the supermarket completely today, but you try to find a balance,” she explains.
How motherhood made her more conscious
Kalki says being a mother has made her aware of her green footprint and upped her inclination towards nature. “Switching to everything nature-friendly has been big since I had Sappho. The biggest thing we did was move to Goa. She was a Covid baby; for seven months, all she knew were four people and a dog (laughs). When the world opened up, we went to my mom’s place in Pondi and were surrounded by coconut trees. We realised we were privileged enough to have a house in Goa apart from Mumbai,” she says.
Not just that, Kalki switched to eco-friendly alternatives wherever she could at home. “You just become crazy about all these things. Everything in my home now is less harmful when it goes down the drain. It has all made a huge difference in our lives. If I were in Mumbai, at best, I would go to a mall during the weekend. Here, every weekend I’m at the beach or a waterfall. Even indoors, my daughter goes to libraries or puppet shows with recycled materials. It has been a game changer,” she adds.
The juxtaposition of being an actor who cares for nature
Kalki acknowledges that she comes from an industry often called out for not respecting nature, particularly when shooting outdoors. However, she believes there’s only so much she can do to aid change there. “I can’t speak as an actor to those things because I don’t make those decisions. If I were to produce, I would think of these things,” she explains, adding, “So to me it’s more about how as an actor I choose to work with people who might be more aware, be more nurturing, who care about these things.”
She also says that actors in the film industry are as worried as she is about the air quality index, but it’s important to hold those in authority accountable. “Several successful actors today think of how long they can live in Mumbai or Delhi and want houses in Europe or elsewhere just for the parks, fresh air and trees. But conservation is the least priority for this government, and it’s worrying. No matter how much money you make, even businesses must understand it’s pointless if you can’t breathe in the air. There are some things that even money can’t buy,” she rounds off.
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