Richa Chadha: ‘Outsider’ term should not exist in Bollywood

Actress Richa Chadha says finding your way towards fame and success in Bollywood is tough without any connections due to the prevalent ‘star system’. But she also believes that times are changing with showbiz opening its gates to ‘outsiders’.

“Only someone ignorant will claim that the star system doesn’t prevail in the Hindi film industry. It’s very difficult to break in because the whole system, from the producer, press and the fraternity itself support their kith and kin,” Richa told IANS.

The ‘Masaan’ actress, who recently came out in the open about her battle with bulimia, feels that the term ‘outsiders’ should not exist in Hindi filmdom.

She added: “However, times are changing and I am a testimony to that. There’s a growing acceptance of ‘outsiders’. However, the fact that there is a term called ‘outsiders’ is something we should introspect about. Are we aliens? Are we not from India, or the world? The term shouldn’t exist actually.”

Richa carved a place for herself in Bollywood through non-conventional roles from portraying a hot-headed don in ‘Fukrey’ to a small-town girl fighting taboos around sex in ‘Masaan’.

Now, she has gone behind the camera to produce a Punjabi short film ‘Khoon Aali Chithi’ — based on terrorism the Khalistan movement spawned in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Richa, who forayed into Bollywood with ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ in 2008, was lauded for her performance in films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’.

Asked about how tough it is to break into Bollywood with no connections, Richa said “it’s difficult”.

“My mentor Anurag Kashyap once told me it will take you five films to prove that you are capable while a star kid will do it breezily in one. And we won’t get second chances either,” she said.

On the silver screen, Richa was last seen in ‘Sarbjit’, and has projects like ‘Cabaret’ and David Womark’s Indo-American production titled ‘Love Sonia’ in her kitty.

Inputs from IANS

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.