New Delhi, May 16

Kalki Koechlin comes from a non-film background, but the actress has managed to carve a niche for herself with her unconventional choice of scripts. She however admits it is hard to keep up the good work in filmdom.

"I feel lucky enough to have had a good start by working in alternate niche films like 'Dev D' that have a different style. I have got an opportunity to work with some very good directors, but it is hard to keep up the good work," Kalki told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

"It is very important to choose the right kind of roles; and do not rush into grabbing projects. It is important to be patient. You might work for eight-nine months and be out of work for the rest of the time," she added.

The 29-year-old is known for portraying unconventional characters. She ventured into filmdom with critically acclaimed "Dev D", where she played a young girl who ends up becoming a prostitute. Later she did films like "Shaitan", "That Girl In Yellow Boots" and most recently "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and "My Friend Pinto".

The actress is now gearing up for the release of political thriller "Shanghai". Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, it takes a dig at the sad state of affairs in the country.

The film has been inspired by a mid-1960s book "Z", by Greek writer and diplomat Vassilis Vassilikos. "Shanghai" will have its world premiere at the 13th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards to be held in Singapore during June 7-9. It features Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol and Prosenjit Chatterjee.

"I think youth are getting frustrated with the sad state of affairs of the country. And they are becoming more aware of the current situation. The Anna Hazare movement was the best example of it. It had such a strong impact on the youth of the country," she said.

" 'Shanghai' talks about dreams and reality. People here talk about converting the country into Shanghai; they promise good infrastructure, good facilities, but reality is something different. There is no water, there are potholes on roads.There is a prevalent 'chalta hai' attitude here. It's high time something should be done," added Kalki.

This is the first time that Kalki is working with Dibakar and the actress admits that the filmmaker is "a tough taskmaster".

"He is a perfectionist and knows what he wants. He almost made me cry during the shoot. It was a month- long shoot in a small town of Latur and Baramati, where there was no proper food, no hot water, no proper resting place too. We had nothing much to do there, but that helped us stay focussed on our work and enact our scenes properly," she said.

"He pushes people to such an extent that they are bound to give good performances," she added.

The actress has now begun shooting for Vishal Bharadwaj's supernatural thriller "Ek Thi Daayan", which features Emraan and Konkona Sen Sharma.