The Conventional Rebel

Her dream was to conquer Bollywood. And now, she is all set to conquer Cannes, as her movie, Masaan, has been selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival 2015. In an uninhibited conversation, Bollywood’s atypical actress Richa Chadda talks about chasing the dream, riding high on success and being called unconventional.

American rock musician and the Godmother of Punk, Joan Jett, had once said, “Other people will call me a rebel, but I just feel like I'm living my life and doing what I want to do. Sometimes people call that rebellion, especially when you're a woman.”

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What could, more fittingly, explain Richa Chadda’s existence and rise in an industry bound by conformity. She embraces who she is, with an air of sensuality, and does her own thing, while subconsciously creating a stir among an audience that is left dazzled by her performance. Ever wondered why, in a movie, such as Gangs of Wasseypur, which is filled with some of the most revered names in the industry, it is Richa who stands out? It could be the rawness of her character or the poise with which she holds it. Or, it could be the realness she lends to a role based on fiction. Whatever it be, Richa Chadda is more than just a critic’s favourite Bollywood actress. She has a mind of her own in a space where provocative thought is often not evocative enough. In a world where following the rules blindly is a routine job, people may call that unconventional. Richa calls that standard.

So, how has Bollywood treated Richa? “I would call my experience so far, a mixed bag—I had an easy break, to start with, but I found it harder after that,” she says. The girl, who had critics sit up and take notice of her as Dolly in Dibakar Banerji’s Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, has carved a niche for herself in the industry and has left an indelible impression on the mind of every movie-goer, film critic, actor and director who has worked with her. She isn’t your mainstream Bollywood heroine who springs into a song and dance sequence in a dream setting. She portrays sexually liberating roles and glorifies the quintessential Indian woman in an age when women are too busy trying to be everybody else’s idea of modern.

Girl Uninterrupted

For a History Major from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, with a father owns a management firm and a mother is a professor at PGDAV College in Delhi University, how did Bollywood happen? “I always wanted to act, so it was natural for me to want this,” Richa tells us. “Everyone else, at the time, thought I was just being filmy for wanting to pursue my childhood dream. I took myself seriously at a time when no one else did. My parents wondered why their 20-year-old wanted to move to Bollywood.” But her heart was always inclined towards the performing arts. And so, unlike many young Indian girls, she set out to chase her dream, all by herself. “I lied to my parents and told them I was going to Mumbai to study a media course,” she reveals. “When they found out, they were eventually okay with it… but after they helped me find me a job to sustain myself, till I got my first break.” Richa’s family has been her backbone through her career. “My parents have come to each one of my plays and screenings,” she reveals. “When I shoot in Delhi, they visit me on the sets and my brother was the one who set up my Facebook fan page.”

Of Rise and Reason

Richa won over the hearts of many a movie critic in her debut movie, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, in 2008. In 2010, she played the role of Fedora in the comedy, Benny and Babloo. But it was Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur that brought Richa Chadda into the spotlight. Her phenomenal performance as Nagma Khatoon took her from being a fine support cast to a brilliant performer. “The most difficult part about my role was playing a mother to people who are older to me by as much as 20 years!” she tells us. She prepared for the role by observing her grandmother closely. Clearly, she pulled it off like a piece of cake—she went on to win the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress that year. “It feels fantastic to be critically acclaimed; it’s the one thing I have over many others, and it gives me more confidence,” she affirms. No, she isn’t afraid to have an opinion and air it, too, should the situation demand it. If she’s good at something, she flaunts it with pride. In an industry where friendships are more often than not, just a paparazzi stunt, Richa found friends in several of her co-stars, who adore her just as much. “I have managed to make some good friends in Bollywood,” she reveals, and goes on to talk about her equation with Kalki Koechlin, her Fukrey co-stars and their respective girlfriends. At this, I have to ask, whether or not she would ever date someone from within the industry. “I used to think that I wouldn’t, but today, it seems more plausible,” she says, matter-of-factly. “At the end of the day, those are the people you end up spending most of your time with and, strangely, they are the ones who understand deadlines, mood swings when you’re on a diet for a particular film, or why you’re coming home at 5 am in the morning from a shoot, or an event.” It dawns on me, that Richa Chadda is one of the few women—not just in the industry, but also in general, who accept and love themselves just the way they are. Perhaps why people often describe her as unconventional. “If you ask me, I think unconventional are the white plastic women who look very similar to one another,” she tells me.

A Woman, All Her Own

Richa does not believe in mincing words. And no, the accolades and positive reviews have not gone to her head, either. If anything, she is more grounded than ever!

Case in point: From teasing the assistant photographer to ensuring that our videographer had eaten his meals—Richa was the bubbly, easy-going girl you could sit and crack a joke with, on the sets of our cover shoot. Yet, when the camera is on her, she transforms into the epitome of an enigmatic woman who knows just how to leave you guessing.

Behind the scenes, she is the girl who loves all animals and birds, alike. She even rescues little cats and dogs and shares their stories on her Instagram feed. No wonder PETA chose her for their campaign to save fish. “I am a Presbyterian, a vegetarian who’s trying to turn vegan, and I strongly uphold animal rights. So when PETA approached me, there was no way I would turn it down.”

STYLE RESUME

Richa Chadda believes in being comfortable in her own skin, and never tries hard to make a statement. She knows what works for her and what doesn’t. We caught her in a little style rapid-fire.

Three words that describe your sense of style…

Quirky, non-conformist and individualistic.

What are your summer wardrobe essentials?

Shorts, a simple cotton dress, track pants and a cotton salwar kameez.

Who are your favourite designers and design labels?

In India, it’s Atsu, Shantanu & Nikhil, Rohit & Rahul and Rohit Bal. Of the international ones, I like Alexander McQueen and Chanel.

A person whose style you admire a lot…

I like how Kangna dresses. She is consistent in her style, always ahead of the times and is not bothered by what people say.

The one style/outfit you can never go wrong with…

Anything that accentuates my collarbone.

Sexy footwear for you translates into…

Some really glittery boots, or a pair of stilettos.

Your everyday handbag …

Right now, it’s a Candy Furla bag. It’s so useful for when it rains in Mumbai and I can find things easily, because it’s transparent.

What’s in your bag, right now?

Sunscreen, lip balm, a pair of shades, a body mist, car keys and wallet.

One fashion label you can blindly trust for red carpet events…

Chanel. It’s classic, elegant and feminine.

What do you love splurging on?

I end up buying a lot of wallets because they are so handy and I can never tire of them.

What was your first big luxury purchase?

A Savoy watch.

The one thing you are dying to get your hands on, right now…

An endless supply of money.

UNRAVELLING RICHA

On Beauty

“For me, beauty is about what’s authentic—confidence, feminine elegance, sensuality and symmetry.”

“There is pressure on us to always look good, but these are all unreal expectations. Truth is, no one wakes up looking like we do on a magazine cover.”

“We all pretend to be minimalists, but there’s a whole team working to make us look natural—hair, makeup, stylist, nutritionist, therapist, trainer—a whole battery put into one individual.”

On Love and Marriage

“I definitely believe in the idea of love and marriage. I don’t think of love as irrelevant. Many of my friends would disagree but, I just haven’t had my heart broken. Maybe that’s why I am not cynical about either love, or marriage.”

“Marriage is a practical institution that was designed for all the right reasons—for having children, for men to not leave a woman, and so on. People think too much about it and make it cumbersome. It should be treated like a normal thing.”

“The ideal man for me would be someone who is sincere, transparent, intelligent, well-read, well-travelled, with an interest in the liberal and performing arts. Also, a little athletic because I like to work out with whoever I am.”

On Future Films

“I am very excited about Masaan, which has just been selected for the Cannes Film festival. There is also a film by Sudhir Mishra, called Aur Devdas. Then there’s another film called Jia Aur Ria, which I have shot with Kalki Koechlin. And then, there is Main Aur Charles, which is a thriller about a jail break. I am quite looking forward to the character I play in it—a law student who is intelligent and logical, but when it comes to falling in love, she loses all sense of logic.”

On Her Favourite Director

“Anurag Kashyap and Sanjay Leela Bhansali Saab have a lot more in common than you would think! Both always have strong female characters in their films—at least one who’s strong, feisty and rebellious. Both are experts in creating their worlds. Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya didn’t work at the Box Office, but they both created an impact. And of course, they’ve both worked with me!”

“Fortunately, I have worked with very good directors, like Dibakar Banerji, Sudhir Mishra, Meera Nair—these are all people who are doing something meaningful in cinema. I want to work with Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, Neeraj Pandey, Ritesh Batra, Shimit Ameen and Nikhil Advani—they write interesting films.”

“Whenever someone calls me unconventional, I point out that I am brown-skinned and curvy—just like most Indian woman—and that makes me conventional. So, I tell them that it is you who is unconventional for being unable to see that.”