Kalki Koechlin reveals a producer once asked her to get cosmetic filler for her laugh lines: ‘He was talking about his ex who was a beautiful actress, did too much botox’ | Hindi Movie News

Actor Kalki Koechlin recently reflected on an uncomfortable encounter with a film producer who suggested she get cosmetic fillers for her laugh lines during a casual lunch meeting. Kalki revealed that although the comment angered her, she chose to handle the situation with humour rather than confrontation.Recalling the incident, Kalki said the conversation initially revolved around the producer’s former partner, an actress. “I remember sitting with a producer and having lunch and he was talking about his ex, who is a beautiful actress. And he was saying she did too much Botox, like she went a bit too crazy and it looked really bad,” she said in an interview with Lilly Singh.She then shared how the producer unexpectedly turned the conversation toward her appearance. “And then he just looked at me and he’s like, ‘You know, you should get fillers for your laugh lines.’”Although she laughed off the remark at the time, Kalki admitted it deeply upset her. “So I remember seething from inside, but trying to make a joke out of it. But also looking at him sternly. And he stopped after that and didn’t talk about it. But it’s just those ways that people have. It’s just these subtle ways of people just slipping in comments like this.”When Lilly Singh asked if she regretted not confronting the producer more directly, Kalki said she had no such regrets. Instead, she transformed the experience into a story for her stage show ‘I’m Okay’, which explores motherhood and postpartum experiences.“I included that story in the performance and it resonates a lot with women. They know exactly what I’m talking about,” she said.Explaining why she chose not to react immediately, Kalki pointed out that not every situation allows for direct confrontation. “Forget about work. We have people in our family that we disagree with politically. We have to have dinner with them. We have to hear them say something that maybe we don’t agree with. And we swallow our food and we go on because you have to pick and choose the battles.”She added that while some conversations can be addressed later in private, that option is not always available. “There are places where you can let that out. And there are places where now is not the time. Maybe in a private situation, you could speak to that uncle and be like, ‘Hey, I was a bit disturbed when you said this about women or about politics or whatever.’ But there are also situations where you can’t.”During the conversation, Kalki also spoke about the gender pay gap in the entertainment industry, saying it can be disheartening to discover that male counterparts with similar experience receive significantly higher salaries. “Of course, with the pay, you find out you’ve been in the industry as long as your colleague, a male colleague, but they’re getting paid so much more and you’ve been paid the same amount for the last how many ever years.”She explained that many women in the industry now rely on one another by openly discussing salaries, production houses and workplace experiences. “I have a very strong girl community and we’re a strong group. We speak about everything there and we share what productions are doing, how much they’re charging, what they’re doing.”According to Kalki, these conversations also help women identify unsafe work environments and individuals. “‘Be careful of this one. He’s a sleaze.’ So that also is another way that women have always had. I think, you know, we call it gossip, but it’s actually a kind of solidarity. It’s community. It’s having each other’s back and being aware.”She concluded by saying that such support helps women make informed decisions before signing projects. “And even if you make a decision that you are working with something that you’re not fully okay with, but you know what’s going to come because people have been telling you what it is, you’re prepared for it. It makes a big difference.”Kalki Koechlin made her acting debut with ‘Dev D’ in 2009 and has since earned praise for her performances in films including ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, ‘Margarita with a Straw’, ‘Waiting’ and ‘Gully Boy’.