Richa Chadha: fierce and unapologetic
The Hindu
A slew of films aside, the actor on her production venture, realising the dream of an all-female crew, and why she isn’t afraid to try new things
There was no big a-ha moment but sometime over the last few years, Richa Chadha realised that she did not care about others’ opinion of her choices. And this applies to different facets of her life. “I am less afraid to embrace my own whimsy, to write a book or get into production. I want to chart my own growth and create my own opportunities,” the actor and newly-minted producer explains. While she was never short on confidence, this new attitude has helped the 34-year-old stand up a little taller. “I’ve had people who I knew on Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) tell me to my face that they didn’t expect me to last in the industry. I don’t know if they realised how offensive they were being but I just didn’t care.”
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In the decade plus years that she’s been in the movies, not only has Chadha survived but she’s positively thriving. Her latest long-format offering alongside Ronit Roy, Voot Select’s Candy, a psychological whodunit set in the hills, is getting favourable reviews for her role as a cop. The third season of Amazon Prime’s Inside Edge will drop soon and she is shooting for The Six Suspects, which is based on Vikas Swaroop’s bestseller and is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. There is also Fukrey 3 that will go on the floors soon and Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hua Hai. Film projects aside, there is the production house Pushing Buttons Studios where she’s partnered with her real-life partner Ali Fazal. Their first film, Girl Will Be Girls is an Indo-French production to be directed by her long-time friend and director, Shuchi Talati. The film’s script has already been a part of the Berlinale Script Station, the Jerusalem Script Lab, and the recently-concluded Gotham Week.