Making noise, to break the silence

Amarjot Kaur

Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin echoes the noise in her mind and heart, while drawing references from the sounds she hears around her. The poem Noise is her second collaboration with YouTube channel Unblushed, her first being a poem called The Printing Press where she voices her views about the media. From the continuously resounding ‘divine cacophony’ she hears at the mosque, ringing of brass bells at temple, and at church, Kalki directs her attention towards women settling rates at the machhi market. Taking her monologue through the videogame-like city life on roads, Kalki turns inwards to the screams of trolls on her social media that seems to unveil the hypocrisy of fans and her tragic obligation, as a public figure, to oblige them. She then turns to media for their reports on feminism, nationalism, patriotism, and other ‘isms’ that tend to offend after taking a dig at the mobile addiction. At the end, Kalki’s monologue draws one to the silence that deafens us to our own voice...

Mike check

Kalki Koechlin is an Indian actress and writer of French descent. Apart from acting in films, Koechlin is also a regular presence in theatre productions. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award and two Screen Awards, among other accolades. Koechlin co-wrote the screenplay for the crime thriller That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011), in which she also played the lead role. Koechlin also uses YouTube as a platform or forum for issues for which she advocates, appearing in videos including AIB’s It’s Your Fault, Culture Machine’s Printing Machine and Noise and Y-Films’s web-series titled Man’s World.

Voice of the people

Thankfully, we have a sane mind in the industry that goes beyond what’s obvious and delves into the details that define our society’s fabric. Noise hits you on the head and forces you to think about almost everything, even your own existence. It’s lovely!

—Jaspal Singh, musician

It’s a beautiful composition in terms of both the music and lyrics. I love the progression of words from early-morning sounds to the deafening quiet of the night. This one gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

—Malvika Singh, 

Student at Panjab University

I love the poetry, the words talk straight to our hearts and minds. I never noticed the sounds around us, especially the sounds that tend to haunt Kalki.

—Kanika Sharma,

Student at Panjab University