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Kalki Koechlin Speaks Up About Gender Inequality, LGBTQ Rights & Unequal Pay In Bollywood
Kalki Koechlin Speaks Up About Gender Inequality, LGBTQ Rights & Unequal Pay In Bollywood
Lifestyle Mar 13, 2016
Bollywood Actress Kalki Koechlin gets bold about gender parity in mainstream Hindi films and more.
It's not news that gender inequality exists in Bollywood films, but ask Kalki Koechlin about it, and she'll open up honestly—something you might not always come across when it comes to the Hindi film fraternity. On International Women’s Day, Koechlin participated in Reddit's AMA (Ask Me Anything) session in India. She discussed feminism and incorporating LGBTQ issues into India's sociocultural conversations.
In fact, through her films, tweets and powerful spoken-word PSAs, Koechlin has become a social justice warrior in India, challenging everything from rape culture and victim shaming to a growing moral numbness in the media.
Kalki Koechlin performs a self-written poem titled "The Printing Machine," a rhythmic and scathing satire against daily broadsheets, magazines, social media and textbooks, criticizing “how our great Indian heritage fell to its knees at the mercy of our innocent little printing machines.” It's probably one of the most stirring invectives against a culture that may be going morally numb, one newspaper edition at a time.
Kalki Koechlin's Rhythmic Satire "The Printing Machine"
Video Credit: YouTube – BLUSH
And on the eve of International Women's Day a few years ago, Kalki also released a video called "Dear Men," taken from her poetic performance in front of a crowd for International Women's Day. She challenged the day itself and what it came to mean in a pop-cultural context.
Indian Film Actress & Bollywood Star Kalki Koechlin
Photo Credit: www.sanmeera.com
"Dear Men" — A Poetic Performance by Kalki Koechlin
Video Credit: YouTube – Bollywood Gandu
"There is a great misunderstanding with Indian people and in general in the world about women's rights or LGBTQ rights," said Koechlin. "Even if I was biased and felt that Gay is wrong, and all women are treated equal. It was only when I hear from other women or people from LGBTQ whom I knew, I could understand the sentiment," claimed the actress.
"Also being able to talk about it, whether it is confronting family, or telling friends, it's important to take the conversation forward. Of course social media videos and films on the subject can help in a big way for people to understand it at an emotional level," continued Koechlin.
Indian Film Actress & Bollywood Star Kalki Koechlin
Photo Credit: www.sanmeera.com
But all of these issues, Koechlin claims, can be solved with one simple thing — education. "I think education needs to incorporate the rights, if children grow up understanding that two people of the same gender can love each other, it is easier to accept," said the actress.
Main Image Photo Credit: www.celebritytonic.com
Daniel Pillai
Author
Daniel is the Digital Media Manager for ANOKHI MEDIA and the host for ANOKHI's entertainment channel, PULSE TV. As part of the dream team, Daniel manages all multiple channels under ANOKHI’s portfolio, while also training new on-air talent, and showing budding p...
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