Richa Chadha (born 18 December 1986) is a Hindi film actress, producer, and political activist. After making her debut in the comedy film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), Chadha's breakthrough came in 2012 with a supporting role in the noir gangster story Gangs of Wasseypur, where she garnered a Filmfare award for her role as the bellicose and foul-mouthed wife of a mobster.
Chadha made her acting debut in the drama Masaan (2015) in 2015.
Childhood and education
Chadha was born on December 18, 1986, in Amritsar, Punjab, India, to a Punjabi father and a Bihari mother. She attended Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and afterwards St. Stephen's College in New Delhi. Her father owns a management firm, while her mother, Kusum Lata Chadha, is a political science professor at Delhi University's PGDAV College who has written two books and works with Gandhi Smriti.
Chadha began her career as a model before transitioning to theater. She has toured India with her plays.
Initial difficulties (2008-2011)
Chadha made her acting debut as Dolly in the 2008 film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! directed by Dibakar Banerjee. Fedora starred in the 2010 comedy film Benny and Babloo. Meanwhile, Nirdoshi, a Kannada film in which she starred, was released in 2010 after a nearly three-year wait.
Recognition and breakthrough (2012-2015)
She appeared in Anurag Kashyap's criminal drama Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 in 2012. In an interview, she revealed that her act as 'Nagma Khatoon' helped her land 11 film parts. The film had its world debut at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. In the sequel Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, she reprised her role as Nagma Khatoon. With its prequel, the film premiered in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Chadha was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.
Chadha's first 2013 release was the Mrighdeep Singh Lamba-directed coming-of-age comedy Fukrey, in which she played a tough-talking female don named Bholi Punjaban. She then appears in the "Epilogue" portion of the Anurag Kashyap-produced anthology film Shorts. Chadha and Shirvastav play a dysfunctional couple who appear to be dissatisfied with each other.
Chadha next starred as Rasila in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's drama film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaption of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. For the part, she won an IIFA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Chadha next appeared in the 2014 film Tamanchey, directed by Navneet Behal, as Babu, a criminal. The 71st Venice International Film Festival aired it out of competition. Her next film, Main Aur Charles, was a biopic of Charles Sobhraj.
(2016-present) Critical and commercial success
Chadha debuted as a journalist in the social drama Chalk n Duster in January 2016. She later appeared in Sarbjit, a biographical-drama film based on Sarabjit Singh's life. She played Sukhpreet and shared the screen with Aishwarya Rai and Randeep Hooda.
Richa appeared as the principal character of a struggling actress in the Indian web series Inside Edge in 2017. The series was well welcomed by both critics and viewers. Jia Aur Jia was launched the same year. The film garnered negative reviews from reviewers and did poorly at the box office. She then returned to her role as Bholi Punjaban in Fukrey Returns, a sequel to the 2013 film Fukrey.
Richa Chadha appeared in Sudhir Mishra's adaptation of the Devdas tale, Aur Devdas as Paro. Cabaret, her long-awaited film alongside Pooja Bhatt, was released on January 9, 2019. Chadha also contributed to David Womark's Indo-American film Love Sonia. On June 21, 2018, the film made its international premiere at the London Indian Film Festival. On September 14, 2018, the film was released in India. Section 375, a courtroom drama co-produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak and directed by Ajay Bahl, was released on September 13, 2019. Her second film, Panga, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and starring Kangana Ranaut, was released on January 24, 2020. In addition, her upcoming web-film Lahore Confidential ZEE5 Spying thriller film involves a cross-border love tale for RAW Agent Ananya, played by Richa Chadha, which will be released on December 11, 2020. Shakeela, her most recent film, will be released in theaters on December 25, 2020.
Anubhav Sinha's Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai is one of her forthcoming films.
Venture into production (2021-present) In 2021, she and Ali Fazal founded Pushing Buttons Studios, a film production firm.
Private life
In 2006, Chadha directed and created the 20-minute documentary "Rooted in Hope." She competed in the 2008 "Gladrags Megamodel Contest." In a May 2016 interview with NDTV, Chadha disclosed that she had suffered from bulimia (an eating disorder) for several years and had recovered after obtaining professional therapy from a clinical psychiatrist. She exhorted other women to go public with their own (patriarchy-induced) eating and mental disorders and called for the destruction of 'ways of thinking' that oppressed women, attributing her eating disorder to patriarchy, misogyny, and the prevalence of the'male gaze' in the field of entertainment.
She was previously involved with Ali Fazal. She is currently based in Mumbai.
B. R. Ambedkar is Richa Chadha's inspiration.
She and Fazal announced their forthcoming marriage on September 23, 2022, and stated that the event would be eco-friendly. She married Fazal in a wedding in Lucknow on October 4, 2022.
Work done away from the camera
Endorsements and modeling
In 2014, she dressed as a mermaid in an ad campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, encouraging people to avoid eating fish and become vegetarians. The following year, she walked the runways of Lakme Fashion Week and appeared in the play Trivial Disasters.
Political participation
In January 2020, the actress joined other actresses from the film industry, including Taapsee Pannu, in a demonstration in Mumbai to express solidarity with the students who were victims of the JNU attack. Previously, she spoke out against a police raid on Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University students on December 15, 2019, while these two campuses were protesting India's Citizenship Amendment Act. In June 2021, Chadha launched The Kindry, a social media initiative with the objective of highlighting regular positive stories from society in the midst of the epidemic. The actress and her friend and entrepreneur Krishan Jagota have created a dedicated Instagram feed to highlight people and their acts of kindness.
Public opinion
Chadha contends that religion in India has devolved into hypocrisy, whether in the treatment of women or in festival celebrations. Chadha maintains she is not "religious," but she feels a strong connection to spirituality, and the more she studies it, the more perplexed she becomes by society's treatment of women. In May 2018, Chadha submitted a 'public interest' notice with an appeal to defend Hinduism from Hindutva sympathizers. Hindutva leaders, she claimed, were undermining Hinduism. "Yes, Hinduism is under threat in India," Chadha said on Twitter. Hindutva supporters, on the other hand, constitute a threat to Hinduism. Remove Hindutva supporters, and the religion will be saved. In the public's best interests." Following this, Chadha faced rape and murder threats from rightwing Hindu trolls. Chadha claims there are no concerns from either side to her interreligious relationship with Ali Fazal because his parents understand love. She believes that once you find love, you should hold on to it no matter what, and she found her love in Ali. Chadha noted that her father is Punjabi and her mother is Bihari, adding that they have a wonderful relationship that is undisturbed by intolerance. "Look, this is India," she was quoted as adding. We are all pretty diverse. My mother is Bihari, my father is Punjabi, and I am here in front of you.
Chadha apologized and deleted a controversial tweet sent in response to Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi's assertion that the Indian Army is prepared to retake Pakistan-occupied Kashmir if the Indian government issues the order in November 2022.
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! | Dolly | |
| 2010 | Benny and Babloo | Fedora | |
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Nagma Khatoon | Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) |
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | ||
| 2013 | Fukrey | Bholi Punjaban | |
| Shorts | Girlfriend | ||
| Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela | Rasila Sanera | ||
| 2014 | Tamanchey | Babu | |
| Words with Gods | Meghna | Indian-Mexican-American film | |
| 2015 | Masaan | Devi Pathak | Indian-French film |
| Main Aur Charles | Mira Sharma | ||
| 2016 | Chalk n Duster | Bhairavi Thakkar | Cameo appearance |
| Sarbjit | Sukhpreet Kaur | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 2017 | Jia Aur Jia | Jia | |
| Fukrey Returns | Bholi Punjaban | ||
| 2018 | 3 Storeys | Leela | |
| Daas Dev | Paro | ||
| Love Sonia | Madhuri | ||
| Ishqeria | Kuku | ||
| 2019 | Cabaret | Rose/Razia/Rajjo | Released on ZEE5 |
| Section 375:Marzi Ya Jabardasti | Public prosecutor Hiral Gandhi | ||
| 2020 | Panga | Meenu | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Shakeela | Shakeela | ||
| Ghoomketu | Pagaliya | Released on ZEE5 | |
| 2021 | Madam Chief Minister | Tara Roopram | |
| Lahore Confidential | Ananya Srivastav | Released on ZEE5 | |
| 2023 | Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai | TBA | Filming |
| Fukrey 3 | Bholi Punjaban / Mohini Nagin | Releasing on 7 September 2023 in Cinemas |
| Year | Title | Role | Co-star | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Virus 2062 | Dr. Gaytri | Ali Fazal | Spotify |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 24 | Sapna | Cameo appearance |
| 2017–present | Inside Edge | Zarina Malik | |
| 2019 | One Mic Stand | Herself | Stand-up comedy |
| 2020 | 55 km/sec | Srishti | Short film |
| 2021 | Candy | Ratna Sankhwar | |
| 2022 | The Great Indian Murder | DCP Sudha Bhardwaj | |
| 2023 | Heeramandi |
| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Gangs of Wasseypur | Filmfare Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Stardust Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 2014 | Fukrey | Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Comic Role | Won |
| Star Guild Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Nominated | ||
| Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 2015 | Masaan | Stardust Awards | Editor's Choice Performer of the Year | Won |
| 2016 | Sarbjit | Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2019 | Section 375 | Screen Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | |
| 2020 | Panga | Filmfare Awards | Best Supporting Actress |
| Bio | |
| Nickname | Ms. Fire |
| Profession(s) | Actress and Model |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in Feet Inches- 5' 5" |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 57 Kg in Pounds- 126 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-26-35 |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Physical Transformation | For Shakeela (2020): She gained 15 kg for her role in Bollywood film Shakeela (2020). In February 2022, she lost 15 kg of her body weight and posted a video about 'body positivity' on Instagram. In the video message, she said, "It's never easy being in front of the camera, much less for someone who wants to swim upstream. Be vocal or woke. The world is going to tell you there's a premium on youth. But that is also for public consumption only, na? Your success, failure, public! Won't matter if you are self-made or self-paid. Everyone has advice. 'You've gained weight. You've lost weight.'" |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 28 December 1988 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 34 Years |
| Birthplace | Amritsar, Punjab, India |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| School | Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi |
| College | St. Stephen's College, Delhi Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualifications | Bachelors in History Post Graduate Diploma in Social Communications Media |
| Debut Film | Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) |
| Family | Father- Somesh Chadda (Businessman) Mother- Kusum Chadda (Professor) Sister- Not Known Brother-Not Known |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Address | Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Playing sports and listening music |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Biryani |
| Actor | Shah Rukh Khan |
| Actress | Kareena Kapoor |
| Color | Red |
| Perfume | Zara |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | 4 October 2022 |
| Marriage Place | Lucknow |
| Husband | Ali Fazal (Actor) |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collections | • Audi A4 • Mercedes-Benz GLE (bought in 2017) |
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