EXCLUSIVE: Richa Chadha recalls how ‘shubhchintak’ demotivated her: Woi relatives bolte hai ‘mere munne ki shaadi mein aa jaana’

Actor Richa Chadha is one of the leading actresses of Bollywood. She made her Bollywood debut with Lucky Oye! and since then, she has come a long way in the industry. Now, Richa will be essaying the role of a courtesan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Heeramandi: The Diamon Bazaar series. However, success doesn’t come easily to people. While some face rejection, some face criticism from their relatives. Speaking about the same, in a candid chat with Bollywood Bubble, Richa spoke about how her relatives demotivated her to follow her passion.

Richa Chadha on relatives passing judgements over the profession

The Fukrey actor exclusively told us, “Mujhe mere extended family mein se kitne ‘shubhchintak’ mere mummy-daddy ke pass aye the. Jab maine unko bola tha ki main Bombay se hi meri puri padhai kar lungi aur uske baad wahi reh lungi. Toh bahut shubhchintak apne ghar kaam chod ke mere daddy-mummy ke pass aaye the ke, ‘Yeh toh Miss India ke tarah groomed bhi nahi hai. Kaise aap bhej rahe ho? Sting operation mein dhekha, kitni ghandigi hoti hai’. Toh aise bahut log hote hai aapke life mein. In fact, yaha aane ke baad bhi kitne logone bola tha ki ‘aap acting kar sakte ho but naach gaana nahi kar paaoge. Dekh lijiye…. 10 saal nikalne ke baad, ye mauka bhi mil jaata hai logon ko. Fir woi relatives aajaate hai bolke ‘mere munne ki shaadi mein aa jaana.‘”

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(Several members of the extended family came to my parents as well-wishers when I said that I’d complete my studies in Bombay and would reside there. Then those well-wishers came to my parents and said ‘She is not even groomed like a Miss India. How are you letting her go? We have seen sting operations and it is so filthy’. So we get to face such people in life. In fact, after coming to the industry, people said that I could do acting but I couldn’t sing or dance. And look at me now. After 10 years in the industry, I got an opportunity like this. Then those relatives only come to us and invite us for their children’s weddings.)

Watch full interview

About Heeramandi story

The series is about arch nemeses Mallikajaan and Fareedan are locked in a battle for succession of Heeramandi, where courtesans reign as queens. It is set in pre-independent India against the backdrop of the freedom movement. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is an epic saga of love, power, betrayal, struggle and, ultimately, freedom. The series is set to be released on May 1 on Netflix.

Also read: Richa Chadha goes the Meena Kumari way, takes cues from Pakeezah character for her role in Heeramandi – The Diamond Bazaar