August Food Anurag and Kalki

8/2/2019 August Food Anurag and Kalki

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Shes the innocent face with bee-stung lips,commonly known as Chanda from Dev.D.He is the acclaimed and radical filmmaker

known for his disagreements with the CensorBoard. She flirts with the camera posing likeits an inherent talent while he struggles toget a pose right. At first glance, you may think Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin have verylittle in common, starting with their significant agedifference. The truth, as OK! discovers, is that two

pieces in a perfect puzzle could not fi t together anybetter. Shes the yin to his yang and their obviousdifferences make them stronger as a whole.

He raves about her talents and her masalachai while she credits the success of theirrelationship entirely to him. Of course she alsocalls him mad, while he says that sitting next toher while she is driving is seriously scary.

Over lunch at Sampan the celebratedChinese restaurant at Novotel, in Mumbais JuhuBeach area the couple welcome OK! into theircomfort zone, sharing their endearing love storyand their fascinating life with us.

Tell us about the first time you met...Kalki: [Laughs] The first time, he didnt even want

to meet me! I went for an audition for Dev.Dandhe had seen so many girls audition for Chandathat he just didnt want to meet more. By the timehe got to my audition, he had seen my photosand he completely dismissed me saying Im somemodel type. Because I looked so pretty in thepictures, he was like, She cant possibly act; shes

too pretty. So he didnt come for my audition; Iauditioned with the casting director.Anurag: She was pretty and white...Kalki: Yes, and he thought that meant that Icouldnt act. [Anurag laughs] Very bad. Veryracist. So then I did the audition and literally 10minutes after I left the office, he called me. Hehad seen the audition tape and he said, Areyyoure good! Come back. Thats how we first met.

Who made the first move?

Kalki: He did shamelessly. He just startedchasing me. I was doing a play at the time; afterDev.D...Anurag: [Sheepishly] After wed finished makingthe movie, she started working on a play and Istarted to miss her. So I asked her out. She hadactually already fallen...

Kalki: [To Anurag] Youre assuming that I hadfallen in love with you. [Shaking her head] Ittook some time a few weeks of him followingme, coming to all my rehearsals, picking me upfrom everywhere.Anurag: It took one month for her to fall in lovewith me.

Can you explain the attraction? Itsapparent, but can you put it in words?

Kalki: I wont find another mad man like him.Anurag: I dont know. I cant see anythingbeyond her right now.Kalki: I think we both have an inner space whichis quite different from the rest of the world. Wefind comfort in each other.Anurag: I have always found it difficult to fit intothe industry and I think she feels that way too...but were a good fit with each other. She has abackground in theatre, as have I, and our circle offriends is also largely from theatre completelynon-filmy. My circle of friends comprises theatrepeople and filmmakers, not the stars. So, atsome level, I think we both share a world thatscommon and were more comfortable stayingaway from all the posiness and glamour.

Considering your 11-year age gap,Anurag, have you been called a cradlesnatcher? Does the age difference matterat all?Anurag: [Smiles] Of course it matters I stillfeel younger than her.

We are whowe are, notwanting to

conform to someexpectations...

Serves 2

250 gms Exotic vegetables10 gms Butter5 gms Black pepper5 gms Oyster sauce5 ml Rice wine

5 gms Garlic5 ml Onion oil5 ml Maggi seasoning5 gms Castor sugarTo taste Salt

Blanch the vegetables [you could use broccoli, carrot,baby corn, asparagus and bok choy] in boilingwater.Add a tablespoon of butter and saut the garlic. Add the vegetables, oyster sauce, rice wine, Maggiseasoning, castor sugar, onion oil and some salt totaste.Toss the vegetables with the sauce to coat evenly,

and serve hot.

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WERE BOTH DRAMA QUEENS...

ANURAG & KALKIFROM LOVE AND LIVING-IN TOGETHER TO

CINEMA AND LIFE IN THE BIG CITY, THIS POWERCOUPLE SHARE THEIR REMARKABLE STORY

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FOOD

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We are thinking ofhaving 79 children,

Anurag jokes. Theacclaimed filmmakeris already a father to

one lovely little girl.


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Anurag Kashyap & Kalki Koechlin

Kalki: [Laughs] Yes! Hes far more immature thanI would have imagined a 37-year-old man to be.Anurag: [Seriously] Age has never been a factor...Kalki: When I first went out with him I did askmyself, What am I doing? but it just nevermattered. There are pressures like work but the age thing has never bothered us.

In your line of work, people are oftenquite secretive about who theyredating. Youve agreed to be an openbook on this subject. Was that a decision

that took a lot of thought?Anurag: The credit for that largely goes to her...Kalki: He was always warning me not to tellanybody about us.

Anurag: Ive always told her not to talk toanyone. This industry is very intrusive.Kalki: The way I look at it, people are going to findout anyway, so you may as well be open about it.Anurag: In fact, it has been very comfortablebeing open about our relationship. Just becauseshe talked about it, and she opened up, there has

been no actual intrusion in our life. People arecurious if you dont tell them, but because we toldeveryone, theres no curiosity people let us be.Kalki: There are no rumours and theres no needfor that, because they know.Anurag: That has been a great thing. Anyway,she cannot pretend and she cannot lie. If she feelssomething, she will say it then and there...oftenputting everybody in an embarrassing position!Kalki: Yes, its a bad habit to be honest all the time.Anurag: [Smiles] Id say its a good thing...

What would you say is the best thingabout your relationship?Kalki: [Smiles] Everything!Anurag: The best thing is the comfort factor.

We are who we are, not wanting to conform tosome expectations or anything like that. Both ourfamilies also love each other.Kalki: [To Anurag, who responds with a smile]The best thing about this relationship is you...

What is the one thing that you bondover the most?Anurag: We bond over movies.Kalki: Were like oldies. We sit at home andwatch movies...Anurag: Watch movies and have a glass of wineor a beer...Kalki: Yes, mostly films and books.Anurag: Graphic novels.Kalki: Graphic novels thats my new interest.

He introduced me to graphic novels.

Mumbai is likea golden cage:

you haveeverything, but

theres no outlet.But I love the citybecause I lovethe people.

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We have a hugecollection of movies our house is likea library, Kalkitells OK!.


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Anurag Kashyap & Kalki Koechli

On the average night out, what wouldyou pick to do?Anurag: She decides.Kalki: Sushi! I always opt for sushi.Anurag: Sushi and pink champagne.Kalki: Yes, thats our favourite. Thats when wewant to spoil ourselves.Anurag: Or Blue FROG [in Mumbai].Kalki: Yes, Blue FROG, when theres a goodband performing.

Anurag, is there something about Kalki

you would like people to know?Anurag: Shes a brilliant writer. Shes possibly abetter writer than I am.Kalki: No, thats rubbish.Anurag: She wrote a play that won an award...shes got a lot to say through her poetry and herwriting. And she is a very good artist. Shes verygood with charcoal sketches, drawing...Kalki: Ive made sketches of him.Anurag: Of me and my daughter...Kalki: But Im very lazy; thats my problem.Anurag: Shes good with origami. Shes good withmany things. She is a very physical person ifshe has nothing to do in a day, she will be veryangsty. She needs to physically let out: she has tosing, dance, anything. She will start making things,

you give her anything... if you give her a lot ofgarbage, she will create art out of it. Thats whatshe does. There were some normal, simple tablesin the house and she took these magazines andposters I had collected, and turned them into veryartistic tables. Shes very good with art and craftand writing. She has a big creative bone inside.The bad part is that she only wants to act.Kalki: [Laughs] Thats my drive right now...Anurag: Shes a good actor, but she can domuch more. Her artistic, creative talents actuallygive me a complex.

Kalki, what is it about Anurag that is notcommonly known?Anurag: Im not as serious as people think I am.Kalki: Yes. He is actually pretty ridiculous. Helaughs a lot. He loves really bad jokes. Like, inShrek there was a joke: redonkulous. He found

it so funny that he laughed for half an hour! Heloves to laugh at these simple, pun-ish jokes.Everyone thinks that hes very dark and serious,but actually hes quite a clown.Anurag: And I dont know how to make money.Kalki: No, you do know how to, but you dontcare about it.Anurag: Okay, Id say thats true.

Kalki, what is the one thing that youknow definitely gets this man?Kalki: Honesty.Anurag: I like people who work hard sincere,hardworking people. I dont like people whopretend to know about something when theydont. I dont mind a person who knows nothing,

as long as he is honest.

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When I seeher smiling andhappy I feel like

everything ispossible.

My films reflect my life ina very subconscious way.

They are my reaction tothings things that I have

seen or observed from close

quarters, Anurag explains.


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Is Anurag romantic?Kalki: Yes, he is romantic, in the sense that hewill do special things for me. For example, whenIm sick, he will spend 24 hours just lookingafter me. If Im unhappy, he will try very hardto make me feel better. Hes not the kind whobrings flowers or perfumes every day. [Smiles]Its not that kind of romance.

If we forced you to pick a trait ofAnurags that annoys you, what wouldyou pick?

Anurag: You wouldnt have to force her! [Kalkilaughs] Id say my eating habits.Kalki: Probably, his lack of control, especiallyover health and issues like that. He can never sayno to things like drinking and eating. Thats onearea where I keep telling him to slow it downand take it easy.

Okay Anurag, your turn.Anurag: The one thing about Kalki that annoysme? I dont know. She sleeps a lot. But that doesntannoy me. [He asks Kalki] What annoys me?Kalki: My mood swings?Anurag: No, that doesnt annoy me. When shesbeing moody, I try to figure out how to deal withit, but it doesnt annoy me.

Kalki: [To Anurag] What rubbish, you getannoyed with my mood swings! You scream atme: Why are you getting upset!Anurag: [After a fair bit of thought] I getannoyed when she is upset with me. Andtheres this issue about driving. I dont knowhow to drive and, even if I did, I dont have thepatience for it. She drives, but she cant deal with traffic. She cant handle it when peopledont obey traffic rules that really bugs herand when she gets annoyed, it all comes outon me for no fault of mine. Of course she willsay its my fault because I dont know how todrive! That annoys me. So Im very wary whenshes driving. Sitting next to her is the scariestpart. [Kalki laughs] But when shes not driving,

its great.

So much has been said about thecalming influence Kalki has on your life.Is this true?Anurag:Absolutely. When I see her smiling andhappy about something, it gives me this strange

energy: I feel like everything is possible. Whenshes upset, it feels like black clouds have comeover my world. I derive a lot of strength fromher. She doesnt need to do anything, just herpresence gives me a lot of strength. She is themost genuine person I have ever met. Of coursethat can be difficult, because she wont holdanything back shes not diplomatic and shesnot politically correct. She will say what she hasto say. Sometimes I feel like telling her, Okay,fine, I know I shouldnt have done that, but youcan avoid saying that. Still she will say it. She

doesnt try to turn things around to make youfeel good.

Would you say you fight often?Anurag: Yes, we fight often, but she alwaysmakes up.Kalki: [Smiles] He has a quick temper...Anurag: Thats a problem with me. I dont thinkI have a quick temper, but I do have a silenttemper, which is worse.Kalki: He has a shut down mode. When wefight and scream and things get nasty, he shutsdown. Hell say, Thats it. Its over, we canttalk. There is no solution. Im somebody

who really wants to figure out a solution toproblems. I dont want to sit there and say Ihate you or whatever. Ill say, Okay, we havethis and this problem. We could do either this,this or this about it. Im more logical and hesmore emotional.Anurag: [Laughing] Were both drama queens.

Being a part of the same industry isthat an advantage or a disadvantage?Anurag: Its an advantage in a way.Kalki: Though there are times I feel judgedbecause Im an actor with a director...Anurag: Sometimes people dont really knowwhat goes on in filmmaking. When we made ThatGirl in Yellow Bootsand when we said that Kalkihas written it, people said, Really?! because a lotof people dont want to give credit. It is like whathas happened with Udaan. I have produced it,but I have not been on the set for one single day.

Yet, if you follow this on the Internet, people aresaying Anurag must have directed the film. Thatsthe problem people dont give credit where itis due. With Kalki, whatever she achieves is onher own strength. I dont come in anywhere. Yether credit is unnecessarily given to me. And thisindustry is like that. When I started my career,everything I did, people said I borrowed fromRam Gopal Varma.

What is it like to have produced workthat couldnt be seen by the public atlarge, as has been the case with someof your earlier films, Anurag?Anurag: Its scary and its heart breaking, but,today, when I look back, I think I am quite

happy that I went through all of that. Had myfilm not been banned, I would have been adifferent man, a different filmmaker. And I reallylike the kind of films Im getting to make today.If my first film had been released and if it haddone well, I could have easily become one ofthose filmmakers I dont like. Looking back, Ihave no regrets. I am a stronger person becauseof those setbacks.

What is it about the art of filmmakingthat makes you feel so passionatelyabout it?Anurag: The two things in life that I love doingare filmmaking and cooking. I dont cook much,but when I do, I love it. I love experimenting.

I think Ive never made two dishes that tastesimilar. Its the same thing with fi lmmaking.Kalki: Ill tell you what it is. He doesnt talk aboutanything he expresses himself in his films. Hedoesnt talk to people often, apart from me now,because weve been together for quite sometime. Otherwise he really doesnt talk.


Dust the shredded lamb with corn flour and deepfry till crispy.To prepare the sauce, pour some oil in the wok,saut garlic, onion and ginger. Add chilli paste, tomato ketchup, rice wine andsome salt to taste. Add the crispy lamb to the sauce and toss themtogether. Finish with a little sesame oil.

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200 gms Lamb [shredded]20 ml Oil10 gms Onion [chopped]8 gms Chilli paste15 gms Garlic5 gms Ginger

5 ml Soya sauce20 gms Tomato ketchup10 ml Rice wine5 ml Sesame oil5 gms Corn flourTo taste Salt

Serves 1

Shes a goodactor, but shecan do much

more. Her artistic,creative talentsactually give me

a complex.

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Anurag: Thats true. Im much better at sayingeverything through a film. When I get angry, I rant.Otherwise I dont talk. I never had too many friendsas a kid. Thats true even today. Sanjay Gandhi, Vikramaditya Motwane and Kunal Sharma: theseare my friends. They are the few people I havehad in my life for the longest time and I valuethem. Other than that, I pretty much stay to myself.

Do you ever suffer from writers block?Anurag: [Smiles] Too often! In fact, now I dontwrite more than one or two scripts in a year. Ive

stopped writing for others. I only write for myselfand that too I cannot write the first draft. I comein and do my last minute thing and then Imready to go. When I suffer from writers block, Ijust put the script aside and watch lots of moviesuntil I forget that I had writers block. Then Imake a comeback and finish it.

Anurag, you studied zoology, so howdid the shift to films happen?Kalki: This is a good story.Anurag: I attended a film festival in 1993 andI suddenly realised: this is what I want to do.Kalki: He watched 50 films!Anurag: [Smiles] I watched 50 films in 10 days.Five films a day starting early in the morning.And then I left everything in Delhi and came toMumbai. I watched those films and realised Iwant to make films too, so I came to Mumbai withRs. 5,000 in my pocket. I checked into a hotel and,obviously, the money got over pretty quickly!

Kalki, your parents dont belong totheatre or the movie business whatled you into acting?Kalki: I have no idea! [Laughs] It was justsomething that I always did. In school, even. Inever saw it as a job; only as a hobby. Then, whenthe time came to go to university and I had to startthinking about a career, I spoke to my teachersand they made me realise that the things I enjoy acting and creative writing are the things Ishould pursue. Honestly, I was dead scared when Idecided to opt for acting as a career. I felt like thisis impossible, nobody can make a career out of this.Its so difficult and everybody is struggling. Everysingle actor I knew was a waiter in a restaurant!

[Smiles] Part-time actors, full-time waitresses.Anurag: I was a waiter at Prithvi Caf in 1993,because I wanted to hang around at Prithvi!Kalki:And I was a waitress, for many years. Andthen I was a popcorn person in a cinema.Anurag: [Laughs] Thats one more thing we havein common. I was a waiter in a theatre and shewas a waitress in an alternative cinema!

Kalki, youre often mistaken to be aforeigner, when in fact you were born inIndia. Do you feel more Indian or French?Kalki: Definitely more Indian.Anurag: Shes very south Indian.Kalki: Ive never lived in France, so I dont havethat culture. Even when I go and visit family

there, I feel totally out of place.

I wont findanother mad

man like him.


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Anurag andKalki chatted

with OK! over ameal at Sampanin Mumbai.


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But you have a love-hate relationshipwith Mumbai why is that?Kalki: [Laughs] Its such a painful city! Theres somuch traffic and the biggest problem in Mumbaiis that if youre not working, theres nothing todo here and its so depressing! The city is like agolden cage: you have everything, but theres nooutlet. It is difficult for me especially because Igrew up in the mountains and in the countryside.But I love the city because I love the people.Everybody in Mumbai is here to do something.

How has living-in together, in Mumbai,changed you as a couple?Kalki: I think both of us have had to learn todeal with each others issues. Weve had to learnpatience and objectivity...Anurag: [Laughing] Ive learnt that she makesgreat tea in the morning.Kalki: [Laughs] He cant do without it.Anurag: Two months into the relationship, wedecided to move in together.Kalki: We were at each others house everyday! Iliterally had a set of clothes in my house, and aset of clothes in his.

Does it ever get too much workingtogether and living together?Anurag: At times it does, but thats life.Kalki: Sometimes, when we are both in the houseand writing, theres only one living room and onebedroom, so you do get into each others way.

But you learn to deal with it. People live in worseconditions than us and do more important, creativethings. People live in matchboxes and make themost amazing music and write the most incrediblescripts. That you need space is all an illusion inyour head: at the end, all you need is passion.

Anurag, does Kalki get along with yourdaughter Aaliya?Anurag: Oh, when theyre together they ignoreme!Kalki: We gang up on him. His name ismotappa.Anurag: Yes, my daughter calls me that...Kalki: ...and so we gang up on motappa.Anurag: They get along very well; they became

friends before we got together.

If you could change one thing about your past Anurag, what would youchange?Anurag: Theres always something, because,in that moment when you are experiencingsomething, the pain is so intense. But now,looking back, I wouldnt want to change a thing.My every experience has brought me to today.

INTERVIEW BY HENNA ACHHPALPHOTOGRAPHY BY SAKINA ZOJWALA FOROK! INDIA

LOCATION COURTESY: SAMPAN AT NOVOTEL,JUHU BEACH, MUMBAI

FOR RESERVATIONS, CALL 022 66934444

OK!

Every singleactor I knew

was a waiter ina restaurant!



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Anurag Kashyap & Kalki Koechli

Though Anurag confessesto his aversion to

romantic comedies, hewill watch them with

Kalki. Im a total suckerfor them! she laughs.

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August Food Anurag and Kalki