Actress Kalki Koechlin is once again in the spotlight — this time not for a film, but for candidly addressing deeply personal chapters of her life, including motherhood, marriage, and the backlash she faced for breaking traditional norms.
In a recent interview with Zoom, Kalki spoke openly about her experience of becoming a mother outside of wedlock, the social scrutiny that followed, and how she chose to navigate it all on her own terms.
Kalki had been in a long-term live-in relationship with Israeli musician Guy Hershberg, and the couple welcomed their daughter Sappho in 2020. However, her decision to embrace motherhood without being married triggered criticism from certain sections of society.
“I was shocked at how many people were concerned about my pregnancy,” she shared. “It’s one of those things where I know it’s not a big deal — but for many people, it was. They couldn’t fathom how I could be pregnant without being married.”
Calling the reaction outdated and absurd, she added, “It felt like something out of the 18th century. I mean, are we in a Shakespearean play? I was living with my partner for years — we were committed. We had a child, which is completely normal. That’s life.”
Kalki further emphasized the disconnect between societal expectations and real-life relationships, saying, “Sometimes I think we’re just living in a collective lie. People still cling to outdated notions of how a family should look.”
Eventually, Kalki and Guy tied the knot after their daughter’s birth. Before this chapter of her life, Kalki was previously married to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in 2011. The couple separated in 2015.
Now a mother, actress, and outspoken voice for personal freedom, Kalki continues to challenge conventions — not through controversy, but by simply living her truth.