'We have become desensitised to shocking news'

'The Printing Machine is not an angry outburst; it's an observation on the state of affairs.'

Kalki reveals the idea behind turning her poem The Printing Machine into a video.

Kalki Koechlin recently broke the internet when her video The Printing Machine went viral.

Featuring the feisty actress in an aggressive avatar, Kalki is seen deriding the role of media in sensationalizing news about women in the video.

In this conversation with Subhash K Jha, the talented actress tells us what's on her mind. 

What brought on The Printing Machine?

I was disturbed by the headlines and wanted to write how we have become desensitised to shocking news. It was written in January 2015. 

But why your angry outburst?

It's not an angry outburst; it's an observation on the state of affairs. 

I wanted to make us aware of our habits and trappings as a society to be apathetic. 

How did the rapid flow of words happen?

I just kept hitting headlines or thoughts down, over a couple of months and then when I got the sound of the printing machine 'takakataka' that's when I turned it into a poem. 

The rapper in you wraps herself around the words fiercely, angrily. How tough was it for you to put those words across in a coherent flow?

I think I enjoy the process of putting words to rhyme. It's the performer in me. 

Does the mediatization of human lives have any redeeming quality for you? If Nirbhaya was not highlighted to a hammering high, we would have never made rape such an issue for discussion. Do you agree?

Oh absolutely. The idea is not that shocking journalism should be censored but that it should be followed through and not given in snippets without context. Our recent past should not be forgotten quickly. 

Is The Printing Machine a precursor to other indictments of societal excesses to come from you?

I don't know. I write a lot of things down and sometimes they just come together. Hopefully, I will (make more). 

What are your plans for 2016?

Lots of releases hopefully...

A Death In The Gunjis set in 1970s and I play a girl called Mimi -- a 34-year-old writer.

It's a drama about how we fit into life, what part we play. It’s waiting for release in March.

Jia Aur Jia with Richa Chadha is also set to release this year.

In the picture: Kalki Koechlin in a still from The Printing Machine