Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin (born 10 January 1984) is an Indian film actress of French descent who debuted in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed Hindi film Dev.D (2009). She played the character of Chandramukhi in the film, a modern take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Bengali novella Devdas, and eventually won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal.Koechlin subsequently featured in the comedy-dramas Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), both of which were commercially successful, and earned her two more nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also worked as a co-screenwriter with then husband Anurag Kashyap.Koechlin later decided to move to Mumbai to try her luck in Hindi cinema. She was doing modeling assignments for television commercials after being shortlisted for the role of Chandramukhi (Chanda) in Dev.D. She was one of the people to be auditioned for the role of the prostitute. Koechlin can speak Tamil, English and French; she had to learn Hindi to prepare for her role in Dev.D. About her role Koechlin said, "My character is much younger and there's much more to it than just being a prostitute. When she is not entertaining customers, she dresses up like any other girl in jeans and stuff and leads a normal life. My role in the film has a controversial streak to it, but I still don't know what would have been an ideal role to debut with. I've got the chance to work with a good director in Dev D and I feel I'm lucky enough." Koechlin was apprehensive about how people will judge her after seeing her in the role. She co-founded Quaff Theatre, a theatre group in 2008.
Upon release, her portrayal of the modern Chandramukhi, who goes from an innocent schoolgirl (Leni) to a vivacious prostitute (Chanda) was critically acclaimed saying "Kalki shows sparks in the scenes". Hindustan Times said, "Enter Chanda, the multilingual call girl who can seduce in Hindi, Tamil, English and French. With her bee-stung lips, unusual face and refreshing lack of acting guile, Kalki Koechlin imbues the part with a touching fragility." For her work in Dev D, she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2010. Koechlin paired with the actor Imran Khan for a Coca Cola advertisement. The advert was voted the best of the IPL by the TOI Advertisement awards.In 2011, she was seen in Shaitan. Film critic Komal Nahta commented, "Kalki Koechlin performs with admirable ease". She then starred in Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara alongside Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif; film critic Taran Adarsh commented, "Kalki plays a Mumbai girl belonging to the upper crest and though it's not a typical 'heroine' role, Kalki infuses life into the character, fitting into the conceived character accurately". Komal Nahta wrote, "Kalki Koechlin does very well in a difficult role she stands her own amongst the other actors". Box office India declared the film a super hit.She co-wrote and also starred in Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in Yellow Boots film critics Komal Nahta commented, "Kalki Koechlin delivers a nuanced performance as the tumultuous Ruth. She uses her eyes and body language to the hilt to express varying emotions". Taran Adarsh wrote, "THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS is embellished with top notch performances, with Kalki scoring brownie points for her super performance in the film. Playing a stylish, sensible, sharp-witted British girl supporting herself by working illegally in a massage parlor, Kalki has the right look for her part, but it does take a lot of guts to portray this intricate role. She has an inimitable talent and onscreen presence by means of which she single-handedly carries the film with her gut wrenching raw performance". Kalki has also helped her husband Anurag Kashyap to write the 2011 film That Girl in Yellow Boots. Koechlin will be seen in Ram Gopal Varma's Happy Journey.
In September 2013, she was featured in a Video called It's Your Fault for Anti-Rape Campaign along with VJ Juhi Pandey. The Video went viral on Internet with over 150,000 views in just 2 days.
Source :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalki_Koechlin & Google image.