She has not only knocked off a few kilos but it seems, quite a few years too. Looking fresh and glowing, Koel Mallick radiates happiness in her Instagram photographs. And off it too, the beautiful actress personifies good vibes, a poster girl for positivity, the much-needed booster in the times we are living in. Post this special photo shoot at ITC Royal Bengal and ITC Sonar (yes, she walked up and down, covering the length and breadth of the two star properties on EM Bypass), Koel put on her ripped denims and a denim jacket and tee, and settled down for a candid chat with The Telegraph.
You look stunning! So, this is Koel 2.0! What is the secret?
So sweet! I am sure it’s the glow of motherhood. Kabir (son) keeps me laughing all the time and he has been the biggest blessing of my life. I think it is also a disciplined lifestyle which I have always followed throughout my life. Thanks to my parents for that I guess. It all comes down to upbringing. It has helped me maintain a balanced lifestyle. I am also always optimistic and positive about life.
Are you at your fittest right now?
That’s what people are saying actually. It came more with post-pregnancy weight loss. I was wanting to get back to my earlier clothes and didn’t have the mindset of a new closet of XXL. (Laughs) I really wanted to get back to ‘S’. I was happily and conveniently borrowing clothes. My gym attire, like T-shirts, was my husband’s (Nispal Singh). And, he gleefully let me borrow. If you want to lose weight or not is a personal call, but since my profession is showbiz, I have to be in a certain shape that I want to be in. My pregnancy clothes were just a handful.
I got into Zumba because jumping into strength training was difficult for me. You have a huge amount of change in your body and I was sleep deprived. I still am! (Laughs) Attending to the baby was and remains a priority. Dance is a beautiful way of expressing your feelings too. Music is also a beautiful therapy.
After six-and-half months I got permission from my gynaecologist that I could get into hardcore training. It was a difficult journey and wasn’t easy at all. But I think the more difficult it is, the more fun it is.
After delivery, I automatically came down three-and-a-half kilos and then I shed 13 kilos in two-and-a-half months.
That’s amazing! We think you need a new wardrobe anyway! Look at you!
(Laughs the Koel laugh) That was sweet! I have toned. Even during pregnancy I was mindful of what I ate. Yes, I did binge on my cheat days and I had an extra cheat day. My doctor asked me to keep a check on my weight. It’s not good for the baby and it all came down to the baby. You don’t think about your figure then. The only priority is the child growing within you. I was doing a lot of yoga during my pregnancy days and would put on bhajans and meditation music so that I could give good vibrations to my child.
You also got Covid right after your pregnancy last year. For that too you had to rest well before you could start training...
I was anyway waiting because it didn’t occur to me at all. My son was everything. He was dependent on me completely. Thankfully, God was kind and I was asymptomatic and I could attend to Kabir, with the guidance of my doctor. The only thing was I couldn’t take help from anyone else around me, but somehow, I completely zoned out from everything. I wasn’t on the phone. People have been kind, but I didn’t want to take on too much because the more you think, the more stressed you get.
I always believe things can be tough, but mothers are tougher. I left it to God. I wanted to be the best mother and attend to him the best way possible. He has taken the entire limelight of my life. He is a happy child.
What are you missing the most in terms of eating, from your pregnancy days when you had the choice of binging?
I had phuchkas too, from a safe place, but interestingly I never had an odd craving. My child has been very sweet. The interesting part was the somersaults inside the stomach! I am actually not missing anything, because I have always had a cheat day. Post delivery, when I started keeping a tab on my diet, close to seven months after delivery, I would have a cheat meal. Now, I am more flexible and have a cheat day.
Are you a foodie?
I LOVE food! I will have Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti now when I go home, since I have vegetarian food on Mondays. But it was a difficult period for me to lose weight and I don’t want to put on the pounds. I think it is important to understand what you are eating. You don’t need to deprive yourself and I don’t believe in having boiled food, but portion control is important.
Why did you think it was important for you to share that video of yours where you are heavy and which later goes on to capture the weight-loss process? Was it to motivate others?
Exactly. There were many people who kept asking me how I did it. Everyone’s body is different and your metabolism is different. It was difficult but not impossible to shed off weight because I knew I had to shed off the weight I happily gained during pregnancy. I was not desperate and I thought it would be a nice and happy journey. I was fortunate that it happened quickly for me. I have always worked out and even during pregnancy, I was flexible. I walked for one hour every day, till the second-last day.
The dramatic location at ITC Sonar added to these frames. Koel perched herself on the rocks in a Richa Khemka ensemble. Prasenjit Biswas, our make-up pro for the day, smudged her upper eyelid into a dark-smokey hue and teamed it with glossy lips and a wet, textured hair. Don’t miss the setting clips! “This is one of my favourite looks. I love doing high-fashion looks staying within the comfort zone of the muse. I left the setting clips on because it was looking so nice!” he laughed. “Minimalistic-glam” was on Chikky Goenka’s mind while styling the looks. “I wanted to stick to monotones, and keep the focus on silhouettes that were a mix of structure and drape. Each look, if you notice, is simple in its own way, but adds some drama that I guess was enough to make a statement. I tried keeping it balanced... it’s timeless but modern,” said our stylist for the day. Koel found the look to be full of drama. “I have been thinking of doing something like this for a long time. I am happy that I experimented with a look I have never tried before. My hairstyle, definitely no. I have done a lot of smokey eyes, but not this kind of a dramatic smokey eye,” she said.
Kabir is a year old now....
He is one year and seven months. I told Rane he is like me... lokkhi chhele. Rane said ‘wait and watch’. Kichhu din por shuru hoye gechhe. If I scold him, he smiles. My mother has asked me to be strict and not smile even when he is giggling! I really have to control my smile. When I feed him, he tries to feed me back too and will point at Rane too.... That is so overwhelming a feeling that it is difficult to put it in words. He loves being entertained, loves to talk and enjoy and he is picking up words very fast, like yesterday, he picked up ‘garden’ and if you ask him what’s your name, he’ll say ‘Kabing!’ (Laughs) He has big opinions. ‘I want this and I don’t want this!’ They would say ‘ma hoya ki mukher kotha and I didn’t understand much. Now I do. Every second, there is a part of you thinking if he has got his diaper changed or eaten properly.... That care and concern will always be there....
He is in his own world and like they say God is in every child, you actually feel it. It’s such an innocent soul. It’s a divine feeling having him around.
Do you think the times we are going through has become a little more bearable because you have Kabir in your life?
He has been a blessing to the entire family. I remember taking his pictures and ma would send them to my relatives... smile, laugh, giggle... he also does mimicry. Life has been very tough for everyone in 2020 and 2021. It still feels like a dark film that we are watching and aren’t a part of, but let’s not absorb the negativity. Life is unpredictable and we should be kind towards each other. You should be only spreading love and that is the only thing that should matter at the end of the day because you never know whether tomorrow will come. Be a part of the good memory for the others.
There is a cool attitude that ‘I am this way!’ If I am hurting someone... this is the way I am. I would request them not to be so unapologetic about such things. You might lose your temper, but it is important you think before you speak, because once you have said it, you can never take it back, no matter how many ‘sorrys’ you say. Don’t take anybody or any moment in life for granted. Life is precious and this is what these two years have taught us.
Are you a planner? If yes, what are you expecting from 2022?
I am always in the moment. With life and experiences you always evolve. Good experiences are great, but the not-so-good ones are even better because you learn and become an even more mature person. I am thankful for all the experiences because they have helped me blossom into the person I am today.
In 2022, I only have one prayer. Everybody should be kind, loving and happy.
And, this should just end...
Oh yes, absolutely, but if we wait, it seems long. So let’s just not wait. It will happen definitely. We are walking through the tunnel and we know that there is light at the end of the tunnel so let’s just look at the light and let’s not get absorbed in the darkness of the tunnel.
For a lot of people, priorities have shifted. What is your take on the work-life balance?
I have always maintained that my work is a part of my life. My work is not my life. I am grateful that I have come so far and the audience has loved me.
Close to 20 years...
Can’t believe... but as an individual, as Koel, I have to be responsible as a daughter, a partner and now a mother.... That is the only thing that has given me the oxygen to work in front of the camera, the love that I got from my family and my near and dear ones. My mother has always reminded me about taking out time for my relatives. It is important to let them know how important they are in my life.
Will you cut down on work even more?
I have always been choosy about work. The film should be worth my time out of home. I definitely want to do the kind of films I have never done before or the characters I have never done before... people are getting brave about the content and the audience is also accepting of new kinds of content. Their happiness equals to our happiness. Now because there are such beautiful things happening in the society, people would want to take those stories up and make films. Stories of women coming into their own and where they too have an important role to play, films are being woven on those lines. Women are so multifaceted. You should realise how strong you are, pull up your socks and move ahead with your chin up.
What words will be on your lips when you wake up on January 1, 2022?
God, please be kind to everybody. Like always, I’ll start the day with pujo and prayers and taking blessings from the elders because they have seen life way more than we have. It will be a happy, bright day, setting the tone for the whole year.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
Hair and make-up: Prasenjit Biswas
Styling: Chikky Goenka
Location courtesy: ITC Royal Bengal and ITC Sonar
