‘I don’t want to bore my audience’: Richa Chadda

Richa Chadda says she wants to give something fresh every time she takes the centre stage

Richa Chadda. Photo: Ashish Bajaj

Richa Chadda is enjoying the best of both the worlds. While Masaan is part of Indian Panaroma at the ongoing IFFI, Charles Aur Main continues to draw audiences. Meanwhile, she has been invited to be part of the jury at Marrakech International Film Festival. She has wrapped up Jia O Jia , where the Delhiite is playing a Tamil Brahmin girl. She is also gearing up to essay a seductress in Pooja Bhatt’s Cabaret

Edited excerpts from an interview:

You are on the jury of Marrakech International Film Festival which is headed by luminary Francis Ford Coppola. How are you looking forward to representing India at an international event?

It’s a new thing for me. I haven’t got the schedule of the event, so I am clueless about what I will do there apart from being on the jury. But I am quite excited that I am getting this kind of opportunity where I will see beautiful films, will be in the company of intelligent minds with whom I can discuss nuances of cinema and I am taking this as an opportunity to polish my skills as an actor.

Tell us aboutJia O Jiawhere you are playing a Tamil Brahmin girl andCabaret.

While understanding a character, we first look into the accent of the character but here I have not gone for completely accent change. I have maintained somewhere in middle which will be more like an urbane dialect rather than a pure Tamil tone. I took help from Kalki Koelchin who grew up in Pondicherry to get into that character. Interestingly, she is playing a Punjabi girl in the film. As

Cabaret is still in the phase of shooting, I cannot reveal more but it’s a very heart touching story of a dancer in film industry.

How do you balance commercial potboilers with meaningful roles?

I think it may be too early to comment on that as I have done only few films till now but I am trying to figure out ways to maintain a balance. With films like Main Aur Charles and Fukrey , I think audience as well as the industry has accepted me.

You represent the changing face of the female lead in Bollywood. Is audience becoming receptive in accepting the female lead without the glamour factor?

I do not agree with this, as audience has been receptive to non glamorous female actors. Female leads of Hrishikesh Mukherjee were mostly without makeup and glamour but they got audience’s response.

BothGangs of WasseypurandMasaantravelled to different international festivals before releasing in theatres. Do you think festival recognition is becoming mandatory for certain kind of films to get distributors in India?

I do not think festival recognition has become mandatory. Urban audience, which is exposed to international media, get to know about the films making news on the international circuit. Still getting distributors for non-star films is a big task but the good thing is producers and directors have started taking risks.

Despite not having any formal training in acting, you experiment a lot with your characters.

The fact is that I have not done a three or four year diploma from anywhere because I did not need. I joined Barry John Academy of Acting and three-month training was sufficient for me. I do not do method acting. I go with the script which lets me experiment with the role. Also, I do not want my viewer to be bored of me, so I present them something fresh every time for entertainment.