Kalki Koechlin has completed her first international film in the form of Her Song. It’s a French-English bilingual where the actress will be playing a French-American author, who arrives at her grandmother’s village in France to write about her life. Directed by John M Kellar, the film, which is a dramedy, is executive produced by the legendary James Ivory.
EXCLUSIVE: Kalki Koechlin on shooting her 1st international film Her Song in a French village with a population of just 80, “Almost every member of the village has acted in the film”; also shares how the legendary James Ivory came on board
The makers have organized a special private screening of Her Song in New York on December 9, which will be attended by the New York film community and the media.
In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Kalki, while speaking about the film, said that it features two historical events that are decades apart. “When she is writing the story on her grandmother, she gets to know that she had to flee from Paris because of the Nazi invasion. While she is writing that chapter, people are leaving Paris and coming to her village because of COVID 19. These co-incidences keep happening. Every time she writes something, something from the past is repeated in the present. It’s about her grandmother’s song singing through a new generation,” she said.
Speaking French wasn’t an issue for Kalki as she knows the language. “But I had never acted in French before,” she pointed out. “That required my constant concentration. I speak French but I was not used to speaking it on a daily basis. Every night I would sit before the next day’s scenes with a pen in my mouth and do the lines like that, so that I would really get every word perfectly. So, that was my way of exercising and ensuring that I get it right.”
But there are also parts where she had to speak English in American accent. “That was also new,” she said. “But thankfully, I was surrounded by an American production. I spoke only in American accent as soon as I reached France for the shoot. And many people thought I was American. Except a few Americans who were like, ‘You are not American. You are trying to sound American. This word you have to say differently’. It was nice to have that kind of support around me.”
The most interesting part was that the French village at the Pyrenees mountain range where Her Song is shot has an unthinkably low population. “One of our producers is from that village,” said Kalki. “Her grandparents and parents are from that village. That was the reason for choosing that village. We had the full co-operation of the entire village. I think almost every member of the village has acted in some part; like just walking across the road and things like that. We used their town hall for meals and everything. It was a small, sweet unit of people helping each other.”
She added, “I don’t think you can have such a small population anywhere in India. It has a population of around 80 people and most of them are over 60. It’s a very sleepy little village.”
Her Song is John M Keller’s first feature film. He has made short films and written novels earlier. “John is a brilliant writer,” said Kalki. “I have read some of his novels. So, I already liked his writing. He has a unique sense of humour. The film is a comedy but not a typical laugh out loud kind of comedy. It’s very witty. As a director, he is not very pushy. He will just let the actors do. He will only interrupt if he doesn’t want something, like ‘Don’t do that’. He doesn’t give too much of direction. He likes to see the actors play off each other. It’s more about the pauses and timing. Comedy is all about that. I enjoyed the process of working with him. It’s nice to have a cheerful director on set.”
Getting someone like James Ivory on board was a big thing for the entire team. “I don’t know the full story but I do know that John showed him one of his short films, which had won an award. And James Ivory liked it very much. He said, ‘If you ever write a feature, come to me’. So, he took it to James and he loved it. He has been so supportive. I mean, he is 90 plus years old and he came on board for social media, he was doing reels for us. He has been really supportive. So, it was wonderful,” said Kalki.
When asked about the release plans for Her Song, Kalki candidly said, “We don’t have a plan. That’s why we are telling you, so the word spreads. Hopefully, platforms will pick it up. Obviously, it will be subtitled. It’s in French and English. For that reason, I don’t think it will have a cinematic release. It is going to be a platform release. The idea is to get the attention of streaming platforms that we have here. And hopefully and eventually, we will get it out.”
Her Song also stars Elea Clair, Julien Jacob, Zach Granier, Thais Sobreria, Aldo, D’lbanos and Marine Assaiante.
Also Read: Kalki Koechlin stuns in a Rs 92,500 sculpted gown by Amit Aggarwal at India Couture Week 2025
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