Proving her mettle in content- driven films like "Margarita, With A Straw", "Girl in Yellow Boots" and "Shaitan" is not enough for Kalki Koechlin as the actress says she is yet to become marketable enough for producers to risk their money on her.
Kalki, 31, said though her latest film "Margarita, With A Straw" earned decent success at the box-office, she is yet to reach the stage where she can pick and choose her films.
"Honestly, it takes at least a year after the film's release for people to even conceive that you are marketable. Right now it is too early to say," Kalki said when asked if the success of "Margarita" has helped her become commercially viable.
"I am right now at a stage where I have a lot of scripts but I still cannot pull in producers because I want to do a film. They still want a bigger star, some songs or something else so it takes time. But it is much easier for me to do small-budget films than it used to be. It is a long marathon," the actress told PTI.
Six-year-old in the industry, Kalki says she has finally adjusted to the extensive films promotions, which have become a necessity today.
"I have reluctantly found myself to become a big promoter of films. In the beginning, I was not. I was more carefree about it. But I realise the importance of it. It is a necessary evil."
The "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" actress now looks forward to Soni Razdan's period romantic drama, "Love Affair", which also stars Ali Fazal and Gulshan Devaiah.
"'Love affair' is a period film set in 50s. My character is a married woman, who has an extra-marital affair with someone. Her husband kills that man and the murder trial forms this interesting story."
Praising the "emotional" story of the film, the actress said it deals with the complexity of relationships and morality.
"It is about what love is, whether it is justified to kill somebody for love, all these questions about morality and relationships. It is emotional and beautifully written by Soni. It is written from the woman's point of view. Everyone has shades of grey in the film."
For the self-confessed tomboy, the character of a proper and polished woman is definitely tough and Kalki is working hard on her body language and mannerisms.
"I play an Anglo-Indian woman, who is originally from London and then comes to Bombay after marriage. As it is set in 50s, there was a certain way people carried themselves. My character is very ladylike. The English accent is different and the Hindi has words of Urdu in it.
"I have to work a lot on my language and my composure because I am quite a tomboy, I like to sit cross-legged and suddenly I am here in very fitted outfits and I have to keep my back straight. I am watching many 1950s films. I am watching many black-and-white films like 'Casablanca' to prepare for my role," she said.
