Richa Chadda

Some Lesser Known Facts About Richa Chadda

• Richa Chadha grew up in Delhi.

  

• In high school, Richa was a member of a group called ‘Saste Qatil.’ At that period, she wore braces.

  

• Richa began her career as a model and later started performing in theatrical productions.

  

• She received theatre training from the renowned theatre director Barry John, under whom she performed in various plays across India.

  

• Just before getting her first acting offer, Richa worked as a writer for a magazine. During that time, she interviewed actor Abhay Deol for the film ‘Ahista Ahista.’

• In 2006, she directed and wrote a 20-minute documentary film called “Rooted In Hope.”

• In 2008, she participated in the Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest.

• Her performance as ‘Nagma Khatoon’ in the 2012 films ‘Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1’ and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2’ was highly appreciated by the audience.

  

• In 2013, she played the role of ‘Bholi Punjaban’ in the film ‘Fukrey.’

  

• Richa appeared as ‘Meghna’ in an Indian-Mexican-American film titled Words with Gods (2014).

  

• Her work as ‘Devi Pathak’ in the film ‘Masaan’ (2015) gained her high appreciation from both critics and audiences.

  

• In 2014, she collaborated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for an ad campaign for which she posed as a mermaid. The campaign aimed to encourage people to avoid eating fish and adopt a vegetarian diet.

  

• Richa has worked the ramp at various events like the 2014 Lakmé Fashion Week.

  

• Richa Chadha has appeared in many other films like ‘Sarbjit’ (2016), ‘Cabaret’ (2019), ‘Section 375: Marzi Ya Zabardasti’ (2019), ‘Shakeela’ (2020), and ‘Madam Chief Minister’ (2021).

  

• Richa believes that outdated societal attitudes, particularly towards women, still exist. She has openly criticised the hypocrisy she has noticed in these views and how some religious practices contribute to the poor treatment of women.

• In 2020, she played the role of ‘Srishti’ in a short film titled ’55 km/sec.’

  

• Richa has been vocal about both social and political matters. She criticised the police action against students protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University on 15 December 2019.

• In January 2020, she joined a protest in Mumbai with actors like Taapsee Pannu to support students affected by the Jawaharlal Nehru University attack where over 50 masked attackers injured more than 39 students and teachers at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

  

• Richa gained 15 kg for her role in the film Shakeela (2020). In February 2022, she lost 15 kg in 3 months and posted a video about ‘body positivity’ on Instagram. In the video message, she said
  

  “It’s never easy being in front of the camera, much less for someone who wants to swim upstream. Be vocal or woke. The world is going to tell you there’s a premium on youth. But that is also for public consumption only, na? Your success, failure, public! Won’t matter if you are self-made or self-paid. Everyone has advice. ‘You’ve gained weight. You’ve lost weight.’”

• In June 2021, Richa started ‘The Kindry,’ a social media platform to share positive stories during the Covid-19 pandemic. She and her friend Krishan Jagota, an entrepreneur, also created an Instagram page to highlight people’s acts of kindness.

• In 2021, Richa and Ali Fazal established a production company named Pushing Buttons Studios.

• Richa has worked in some web series like Voot’s ‘Candy’ (2021), Disney+ Hotstar’s ‘The Great Indian Murder’ (2022), and SonyLIV’s ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley’ (2023).

  

• In 2024, she played the role of ‘Lajwanti’ (Lajjo) in Netflix’s ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.’
  

• Richa is an avid animal lover and has two pet cats, Jugni and Kamli.

  

• Richa admires B. R. Ambedkar, an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer, and political leader. She looks up to him as her role model.