Soft-spoken, unpretentious and utterly composed, Richa Chadda speaks with an economy of words. Carving her own path in the nepotistic jungle of Bollywood, the elegant actress has made a mark for her fiery screen presence and eclectic roles. From winning a Filmfare award early in her career to being invited on the prestigious French talk show Le Grand Journal, she is no stranger to fame. As she readies herself for the release of her critically-acclaimed film Masaan, she tells us about playing Devi Pathak, her inspirations, and that she likes her onions topped with lime!
You have stated that Masaan is a very special film to you and that in a way, it was a spiritual experience. Could you talk about that?
You know, the whole film has a very spiritual aspect to it. We have a song in it which summarizes it, I think, very aptly – ‘Mann Kasturi Re’*. If you look for the meaning in that sentence, really, at the end of the day, this is what the film is about. So I think everybody who’s in it, or at least me, experiences certain things like being comfortable with your own self and coming of age in a slightly more mature way.
You play a young girl in a terribly unfortunate situation just because she decides to get physically intimate with her boyfriend. You took your parents to a special screening. What was their reaction? Had they been worried about the role being too risqué?
No, not really. My parents are really mature and liberal. They loved the film. I was apprehensive at first because I thought it might not be comfortable to watch it with them, because it’s such an intimate scene, you know. But they went in and enjoyed the movie, applauded it and they said they were proud of me. And both my parents understood the film at a very deep core level.
Did you ever have your own doubts about playing this role?
No. Not at all. When Neeraj first told me about it, I said it’s a great story. Then we just waited for things to fall into place. Once they did, the film became what it has. No there was no doubt at all, ever.
“There are a lot of privileges and freedom that we take for granted in a bigger city –like our western education and the mixed groups of boys and girls. That’s really unusual in a small city, where what is natural for a person at that age can be so condemned.”
What was the preparation that went into it? Did you have to study the accent?
I didn’t have to study the accent as much because it’s shot in Benares and I’m from North India, so I understand the way they speak. But I had to really de-urbanize myself. And understand that there are a lot of privileges and freedom that we take for granted in a bigger city –like our western education and the mixed groups of boys and girls. That’s really unusual in a small city, where what is natural for a person at that age can be so condemned, the way we see in the film. Neeraj gave me about 7-8 movies to watch and prepare for the character. Also, I had worked with both the director and the writer before, so that helped.
Also Read: The Belle From Benares – Meet Masaan’s Shweta Tripathi
On the team, you were sort of the most experienced, “been there, done that” person. You already have many successful films out there, a Filmfare award, you’d already been to Cannes for Gangs of Wasseypur…
(Laughs) Not really. It counts of course. But when I went this time, I understood the difference between a film being in an official selection and just going there for a screening. When you go for a screening, there’s no fuss really. You just go, watch your film and come back. Here, we had our own screening, our own red carpet along with a big premiere of some Michael Keaton film. So everything changes when you’re going there for a film which is in competition.
Did the less experienced people on the team look to you for mentorship and advice?
No. The thing is, we are all friends. Neeraj is a friend of mine from Gangs of Wasseypur. As is Vicky. It was really comfortable working around them. It was great fun. In fact, now we’re thinking that it’s all going to end when the film releases and the promotions end. We won’t get too much time to spend with each other. For the past days we’ve been traveling to different cities, pretty much living out of each other’s rooms.
Also Read: Living the Celluloid Dream – Meet Masaan’s Vicky Kaushal
“The mind makes things feel a lot worse than they really are. The truth is that I’m very grateful to be in this business and to do what I love.”
In an industry where a majority of the stars today are people who were born into it, you are completely self-made. You are here purely on merit and that couldn’t have been easy. What helps you find your balance, your inspiration on a day-to-day basis?
On a day-to-day basis, when I feel that I’m losing faith, I’ll call some friends and I’ll distance myself from the induced grief. Because the mind makes things feel a lot worse than they really are. The truth is that I’m very grateful to be in this business and to do what I love really; live so many different lives through the characters that I play; meet interesting people, travel. That’s what I always wanted to do. And I speak to my parents. I call my dad if I feel low. We chat on Skype sometimes and we have some really great conversations. Which is why it was special to me to watch the film with my dad.
Who was your role model growing up? Who made you want to become an actress?
When I was growing up, I think every girl’s role model was Madhuri Dixit. I think It was a great disadvantage that she could dance so well! Because people didn’t see beyond that ;that she was a great performer, she had great gravity, she had great Rasa and Bhava in her performances. It’s only towards the latter half of her career when she started getting the better films. She was really good at what she did. You can’t dismiss her and say “hey she was so tacky before”. She was always good. She had amazing range – whether it was Parinda or Khalnayak or anything she did.
“Every girl’s role model was Madhuri Dixit. I think it was a great disadvantage that she could dance so well! Because people didn’t see beyond that.”
Wouldn’t it be great if you get to work with her some day?
Oh man! Yes. It’s really a dream to even just see her.
Your film Main Aur Charles has me really excited, partly because I grew up in Goa where Charles Sobhraj was finally arrested. And I’ve heard stories about him as a kid. When is the film releasing?
I’m not supposed to say that it’s based on any person living or dead. It’s purely coincidental (laughs). But the film’s climax is shot in Goa. And the thing is that the film is based on the accounts of a cop who had investigated the whole incident. Since the film is inspired by that semi-controversial character, roughly, it makes it a little bit harder to release. But I think it’s going to be out soon.
“I love to eat rice with my hands with some onions on the side. Onions with some lime on it !”
What is Richa Chadda like when she does not have to be a star? What are the things you love and value outside of your career?
Oh, there are a lot of things that I love to do. I pamper myself, I read good books, I write, I love to eat rice with my hands with some onions on the side. Onions with some lime on it! And I watch old movies, new movies, and I play with my cat if she’s around or go for a swim or a run, chat with my friends. I’m just waiting to give myself a breather and I’m really looking forward to cleaning my house.
* (‘Mann Kasturi Re’ literally means ‘the mind is like musk’. It is a metaphor that compares us to the musk deer, which is fabled to follow its own scent, not knowing that its source is within itself. The line implies that the happiness we chase externally, lies within us.)
Masaan releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, July 24th 2015. It won the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival, 2015. Richa Chadda’s upcoming films include Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Aur Devdas’ (where she plays Paro), and Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Cabaret’.
