Richa Chadha was just two films down when she starred in Anurag Kashyap’s iconic two-part crime thriller Gangs of Wasseypur. She played the character of a village lady named Nagma Khatoon. While it was her role that required her to be on a little less glamorous side, filmmakers assumed that it was Richa’s reality.
In a recent interview with Times of India, the soon mom-to-be revealed how people made some weird perceptions around her after that movie and made her feel belittled.
Richa Chadha on people having ridiculous notions about her right after her debut
The 37-year-old recently starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi and has previously worked with him on Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. Recalling how treats his artists, Richa said that he is quite an interesting creator and values people with talent. According to the actress, SLB is confident about his ability to portray someone in a way that he envisions.
Richa Chadha said, “I have never heard him say things like ‘Iska kaam accha nahi hai, ya yeh sundar nahi hai’ about anyone.”
ALSO READ: Soon-to-be-parents Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal want to put no restrictions on their child's upbringing: ‘Will try to inculcate spirit of curiosity’
This is when Richa recalled a contrast she faced when she entered the industry, specifically after she starred in Gangs of Wasseypur. Recalling battling some ‘ridiculous notions’ like ‘She is older, she can’t speak English’, the Fukrey actress said that people would differentiate between her and others on set.
“Some people would talk to other cast members nicely and talk to me in broken Hindi, assuming I wouldn’t understand English. I felt belittled,” shared Richa while wondering whether that attitude of some people came from their ignorance about her education or bringing.
Richa Chadha on her Gangs of Wasseypur co-stars embracing Hindi
The Masaan actress clarified that she doesn’t intend to look down on people who speak Hindi but it’s never about the language. “Nawaz (Siddiqui), at that point, did all his interviews in Hindi. Pankaj Ji (Tripathi) is still more comfortable in Hindi,” Richa expressed.
According to her what irked her was that just because she chose to do a de-glam part for a movie doesn’t mean she should be treated less. She went on to say that people made assumptions that she was not 'capable of being glamorous' because she played a certain role.
Richa Chadha says it is bizarre for someone to assume that a certain someone cannot do something
In the same interview, Richa admitted that she loves Bhansali for not being the usual and recalled facing difficulty in breaking the perception of ‘I could never look nice.’ She shared that there was a time when filmmakers told her that she couldn’t be cast in songs because of her looks and simply assumed ‘tum naach nahi sakte, ga nahi sakte.’
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Richa said, “It’s bizarre. Who are you to tell someone what they can or cannot do?”
In Heeramandi, Richa’s final dance sequence went viral like wildfire thanks to her training in Kathak which made it look so natural and mesmerizing. She shared that while showbiz had several Bharatanatyam dancers like Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Vyajayanthimala, and Hema Malini, there were very less trained Kathak dancers - Madhuri Dixit being one of them.
“I have always wanted Kathak to be showcased beautifully in our movies. That happened because of Bhansali, and I am grateful for it,” Richa expressed.
On her personal front, Richa Chadha is due with her first child this month (July) with actor Ali Fazal.
ALSO READ: Richa Chadha says hubby Ali Fazal is ‘hands-on’; reveals if he plans to take paternity leave after welcoming first baby
