During a panel discussion at the 9th Tata Literature Live on Saturday, actress Kalki Koechlin reportedly said that code of conduct needs to be followed for a safer and gender-neutral professional space. “Since a film set is not a proper office space, especially while shooting outdoors, somewhere in a remote village located at some corner of the country, it is important for people to understand there are a certain behaviour and a code of conduct that needs to be followed. A lot of verbal and physical workshops are going on these days to create that awareness,” said the Ye Jawani Hai Deewani actress.
Known to be vocal about her opinions, Kalki further added that it is important for actors to trust each other before shooting intimate scenes. “There are a number of scenes I’ve done where I’ve not even met the actor before I have to bite his lips off. It doesn’t make sense. There needs to be trust between the actors,” she said, adding that intimate scenes too need to be choreographed. “When we are on a film set, no one is going to not have a really choreographed action scene. No one is going to ‘by mistake’ punch the actor in the face. So why aren't we doing that for intimate scenes?”
The Pondicherry-born actress, who is currently working on a play, said, “In this play that I'm doing, about rape of a Roman woman, every morning my co-actor and I have consent between each other where we ask ‘Can we do this?’ and agree on touch. That has just made us so much more comfortable. We trust each other a lot more.”
Having debuted in Bollywood with Dev D, Kalki has appeared in films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Margarita with a Straw.