Kalki Koechlin makes for a radiant mum-to-be. Now in her third trimester, with folic acid singing through her gorgeous skin and hair, a warm, beatific smile and laughter to match, the award winning actress (of Dev D, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Margarita With a Straw, Sacred Games fame) is busy netting in the accolades for season 2 of her podcast on BBC, Kalki Presents: My Indian Life. All while she readies to have a natural birth, with her partner Guy Hershberg holding her hand. Excerpts from a conversation with Express Parenting.
You’ve never looked better. How has the pregnancy been so far?
Thanks! Honestly, this is an unexpected pregnancy but we are very happy about it. The news came as a pleasant surprise (laughs). We were shocked at first, taken off guard completely, and I even went in for a repeat test to confirm the news. The initial disbelief then made way for joy. Guy and I did plan to have kids in a couple of years but we are delighted to welcome our little one sooner.
You have always been unconventional. Do comment on your choice to have a baby without the perimeter of marriage.
Guy and I do not want to rush into marriage because of the pregnancy. The pregnancy has already brought in enough changes that we are happily dealing with at the moment. Marriage can wait. I can’t even think about it right now. It would be too much to deal with. Thankfully, neither set of parents are traditional, so there is no pressure at all either.
“Kalki Koechlin plans water birth and gender neutral name for her baby”
Shilpi Madan for The Indian Express