Mumbai: From playing the mother of Nawazuddin Siddiqui at the age of 24 to making her presence felt at the festival circuit as well as at the box office, Richa Chadha has carved her own niche. The actress says she would rather opt for a project that gives her a chance to act than just give her visibility.
Born and brought up in Delhi, Richa started her career in Hindi film industry with the film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! in 2008 after doing theatre extensively. However, she went through a tough time in the film industry before Gangs of Wasseypur happened in 2012.
She has since played several substantial roles in films as different as Fukrey and Masaan .
Doesn’t she feel bad that mainstream filmmakers are not collaborating with her enough for a protagonist’s role?
“Look, if the producer is looking for a business of Rs 100 crore from a film, they need a star like Deepika Padukone to pull it off and it is purely a professional reason. I am okay with all that.
“I am not here to make money anyway. I want to leave a mark on every project that I take up, every film that I do,” Richa said in an interview.
“I would say that only in Sarbjit, I felt misused. I regretted choosing the film, but Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela was a great experience. My character was pretty substantial. As long as my choice of the film gives me a chance to do that, I will continue choosing quality,” she added.
However, she admits that playing the mother of an older man, at the age of 24 in Gangs Of Wasseypur, was certainly a risk.
“That was a huge risk that I took at that point in time for which nobody appreciated me. There are people who thought that I am much older than what my actual age was. But people also understood my calibre as an actor,” she said.
Richa was also offered to play the mother of Hrithik Roshan in the film Agneepath.
I’m not here to make money, but to create impact: Richa Chadha
