New Delhi:
Richa Chadha who was last seen in Article 375 also starring Akshay Kumar at an interview revealed her casting couch experience and how she dodged unwanted attention in the industry all these years.
Speaking to Pinkvilla, the Fukrey actress recalled how a man once cornered her at a party even when her uncle was present with them in that room and tried to approach her even continuously even when she deliberately tried to dodge him.
Richa narrative her tale said she was too naive at first to even understand what those men were getting at. “A couple of times I didn’t get it. Like I said, I was really young and stupid. Once a man came to me and said ‘we should have dinner’. I said ‘but sir I already ate’. It was like around 10.30-11.00 and we met at a gathering and I have an uncle, he works in advertising. He was in the room,” she said.
“So he was like ‘we should have dinner’. I said ‘sir maine toh kha lia. I had paneer, I had dal, I had dahi, roti.’ The man however continued to pester her with his indecent proposal ‘no no no we should have dinner.’ He said ‘no! we should have dinner (suggestively, stroking her arms)’. I was like ‘uhhh...oh! Uncle!’,” she added.
Richa then detailing about her experience of casting couch in Bollywood said that such things happened even when she became a known face in the industry. “If you are an established actor, and the person opposite you who is making advances is also an important person who has power in the industry, given the outcome of MeToo and what’s happening today, I would just say, this is stuff we have to navigate on daily basis... we shouldn’t have to,” she said. Richa added that being an outsider makes it more difficult.
Revealing about the initial struggles she faced as a newcomer in Bollywood, she initially made Rs 6000 from an internship and paid it all on her rent and then made a few more bucks writing reviews for ‘B-grade movies’ to help her survive in Mumbai.
Richa will be next see in Panga directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari with Kangana Ranaut as main lead, due for release on 24 January 2020. Richa Chadda is also working on two projects - Abhi toh Party Shuru Hui Hai, Ghoomketu, all slated to be released soon.
