Margarita was Kalki Koechlin’s boldest career decision; we have to agree

CEOs, business heads, actors, and social entrepreneurs answer: What’s the boldest decision you’ve taken as a professional?

“Being bold, to me, means
saying what’s on your mind, following your instincts, and being in touch
with reality. The boldest career decision I’ve probably ever made was
choosing to do Margarita with a Straw, when everybody around me was
advising me to do mainstream films. At that time, no one was willing to
back the film. Despite all of that, I decided to put everything else in
my career on hold for six months. I had no idea whether the effort would
pay off, because I wasn’t sure I could transform convincingly enough
for the role, but in my heart I knew I just had to try.”
Kalki Koechlin, Actor

“Starting my company is the boldest decision I’ve ever made. When
I started out, I was constantly asked who was ‘backing’ me. People
still find it difficult to accept that a woman can run a successful
business on her own merit without a male benefactor. And I’m talking
about well-educated, well-placed people. Early on, I was constantly told
off for not being gentler. I’ve seen men be a lot more aggressive with
me because they didn’t expect a woman to be aggressive in return. They
feel cheated when a woman shows up and does her job like a man because
women are expected to be more acquiescent. Somehow, when you’re a woman
running the show, everyone is going to try to push back and put you in
‘your place’. Not letting anyone do that is what being bold means to
me.”
Kavita Singh, CEO, FutureWorks Consulting

Also read: Kalki Koechlin wants to be a commercially viable actress

“Boldness means stepping up and articulating in a direct way. It
means taking a stand, and doing so in a kind way. The boldest career
decision I had to make was in 2009. I had spent a lifetime working on a
plan to create a not-for-profit platform to alleviate poverty in the
slums and villages of India. Initially, my partner and I agreed we
wouldn’t draw salaries from our charity. We promised our donors that 100
percent of the funds would go to the beneficiaries. As we scaled, my
partner decided to quit her day job and take funds from the charity for
her expenses. I could have agreed and got my expenses covered too, but
that’s not me. Instead, I decided to leave. It was a tough decision as
we had been friends for years, and we could have accomplished so much
together. But I couldn’t ignore the values I started the charity with.
So I founded Shanti Life. For me, this was a bold decision and a new
start, and I’m so blessed to have had the courage and opportunity to
stay true to my beliefs.”
Sheetal Mehta Walsh, Founder and President, Shanti Life

“Boldness
for me is the ability to chart a new course instead of following the
beaten path. The boldest work decision I have ever made was to quit my
job and start Zivame. While starting up itself is a big decision,
starting up in the lingerie space is even tougher. The category comes
with a host of taboos. In our country, it is tough to explain to the
society and even close friends and family, that one is in the business
of lingerie. It generally does not elicit the kind of response one gets
after landing a job at a big IT firm or starting a products company. In
such circumstances, I am proud to have started Zivame and made it a
household name.”
Richa Kar, Founder and CEO, Zivame.com

Richa Chadda feels that boldness is deciding to do something without knowing what’s going to happen. Picture courtesy: Yogen Shah

“To me, boldness is deciding to do something without knowing what’s
going to happen. Even more so, when the odds are stacked against you.
The boldest decision I’ve ever made is to become an actor. Because
honestly, what are your chances of success when you don’t have family,
friends, or mentors to steer you along? And to still set a standard for
yourself and be picky about the kind of work you do… that needs
courage. Leaving my family and everything that was familiar was scary.
Although I’ve never actively thought about failure, I’ve realised as an
actor, you never stop second-guessing yourself. Every time I sense that
I’m shooting for something but my mind is elsewhere, or when I haven’t
been making time for my family, I ask myself if I’ve chosen right, if
it’s all worth it. After all this work, what if some day, the answer is
‘no’?”
Richa Chadda, Actor

Watch: My adaas came out in this Reynu Taandon outfit, says Richa Chadha

“I define boldness as the courage to express myself, to stand up for what I think is right even in the face of hardship. I think you can only be bold when you have faith in yourself and all your decisions, and the conviction to stand by them. Personally, the boldest decision I think I’ve ever made in my career was to move to Egypt at the age of 13. At that time, there were no places to train within the country. It wasn’t an easy decision. I was only a teenager, and I had to leave behind all the comforts of familiarity and stability that I knew. But I did it. And I’m proud of it.”
Dipika Pallikal, Squash Champion

“While shooting for my first film, there was a fairness cream brand that came on board midway as one of the sponsors. I’ve always been morally against fairness creams, and the idea of drawing parallels between skin colour and self-esteem. Yet, I had no option but to subtly talk about the product as part of a last-minute in-film branding deal. I argued my point, but couldn’t find a way out of it. A few months later, I was offered an chance to host a big show backed by a fairness cream brand. It was about fulfilling one’s dreams and ambitions. It would have been great money and a good opportunity. But this time I had a choice. I refused, and made it a point to convey why I did it.”
Shriya Pilgaonkar, Actor

“To me, being bold is to take risks and step out of your comfort zone-anything from trying a new career path or moving to a new country, to challenging yourself to feel uncomfortable and learning something new in the process. The toughest decision for me was moving to India in 2014, and deciding to co-found The Tasting Room, India’s first wine bar in 2005. I was 25 and had never lived in India, and had only been to Mumbai once to meet my co-founder before committing to the business. It was incredibly overwhelming to move to a new country, a new city, where I didn’t know anyone, but it ended up being an amazing adventure.”
Anu Duggal, Founding Partner, F Cubed

“To do justice to our short lives, we must walk boldly down the roads we love, our fears on a firm leash. I founded my own legal chamber 10 years ago. From a chamber junior, I became the principal lawyer. There was no one to warn me off cliff edges or seat me on a fast cable car to success. My practice now is not one I entirely expected, and I love it-the commercial and international aspects, and the freedom to follow my constitutional conscience. In our societies, ‘boldness’ is a grey word, there are rules around us that have nothing to do with the law. But there’s a magic in boldness-take that first step, the rest will come.”
Karuna Nundy, Advocate, Supreme Court of India

“I’ve always believed that the biggest risk in life is simply not taking one. Hence, for me, being bold means having the courage to embrace challenges with zero regrets. I started Wishberry as a fundraising platform for charities in 2011. Marathon runners would encourage friends and family to chip in for a cause they supported. While initial traction was encouraging, profitability was meagre. When an ex-colleague reached out to me in 2012 with the idea of moving away from charity and, instead, helping creative entrepreneurs raise funds for their projects, my gut said it was the right move. Even though most startups don’t care about profitability, I still chose to build a lifestyle business that actually made money and not play the valuation game. I think that was my boldest decision. I even convinced my ex-colleague, Anshulika Dubey, to leave her job and become my co-founder. Since then, neither of us have looked back.”
Priyanka Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Wishberry

This article appears in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar At Work, on stands now.

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