Richa Chadha portrays the wife of Sarbjit Singh (Randeep Hooda) in Sarbjit. Courtesy Grand Showbiz Media & Entertainment
Richa Chadha portrays the wife of Sarbjit Singh (Randeep Hooda) in Sarbjit. Courtesy Grand Showbiz Media & Entertainment

Richa Chadha on her role in Sarbjit and surviving with grace in Bollywood



Richa Chadha is living the dream.

The 29-year-old Bollywood actress, who has a canny knack for bagging strong, interesting roles in an industry awash with weak female characters, has portrayed the firebrand Bholi Panjaban in Fukrey, the strong-willed Nagma Khatoon in the Gangs of Wasseypur franchise, and as the stoic Devi in Masaan.

Ever since her first brush with Hindi cinema in the 2008 comedy Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, the Delhi-born Chadha has grown from strength to strength.

“I never give up,” says the 29-year-old actress, adding that it is a quality that has helped her find her place in the industry. “I don’t want to give anybody an opportunity to write me off.”

In her new film Sarbjit, opening on Thursday, May 19, in the the UAE, Chadha shares screen space with two top actors – Randeep Hooda, in the titular role, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The biographical drama is based on the true story of an Indian farmer who mistakenly crossed the border into Pakistan, where he was arrested, convicted of spying and put on death row. Chadha plays Sarbjit's wife, Sukhpreet, while Rai Bachchan portrays his sister, Dalbir Kaur, who launched a massive campaign for his freedom.

“Sukhpreet is like the backbone of the family,” says Chadha, adding that she enjoyed her role in the film because “it shows the suffering of a woman without being very preachy”.

Next comes the thriller Cabaret, releasing on Thursday, May 26, where Chadha is "doing something with songs and dance." It also stars Gulshan Devaiah (Hunterrr) as her love interest.

“My character, Rosa, is a girl on the run who decides to fight instead of being a victim, and that’s where the story begins,” says Chadha. “As the film progresses, she keeps changing her identity and continues running.”

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra's Dasdev, an adaptation of Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1917 novel Devdas, will be releasing later this year.

Chadha claims that her character Paro, Devdas’s love interest, is empowered, unlike the previous two Bollywood adaptations: 2002’s starring Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and the 1955 version with Dilip Kumar and Vyjanthimala.

“I’ve given the character my own swing,” she says.

Director Howard Rosemeyer’s Jiah Aur Jiah is also due to release later this year, and again has Chadha in a plum role.

“Jiah aur Jiah is a beautiful, slice-of-life film, where I play an heiress, and take a trip together with Kalki Koechlin’s character Jiah,” she says.

Chadha recently bagged a role in an Indo-American film, Love Sonia, which is the directorial debut of Tabrez Noorani (producer of Slumdog Millionaire, 2008). Produced by David Womark (Life of Pi), the story revolves around a village girl who becomes a victim of trafficking.

It was her character in Masaan that made the world sit up and take notice. “Devi’s was a very unusual character, one that could alienate a lot of people in the first five minutes of the film,” she recalls. “Instead she received a lot of love and praise.”

Masaan was the first Indian film to win two awards at Cannes last year: the Fipresci, the International Jury of Film Critics prize, and the Promising Future prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Closer home, Chadha received the Editor's Choice Performer of the Year at the Stardust Awards 2015 for her performance in the film.

But awards don’t define her success.

“I don’t think much about them,” she says. “It’s not like life changes a lot after that. I’m happy if I get them and if I don’t, I don’t really care.”

With two new films going on the floors this year - Fukrey 2 and Three Stories – Chadha's hands will be full for a long time.

“I’m living my dream,” she says. “Working in films is what makes me happy and I will be doing it for a long, long time.”

Sarbjit opens in cinemas on Thursday, May 19

artslife@thenational.ae

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

MATCH STATS

Wolves 0

Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)

Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)

Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)

Mrs%20Chatterjee%20Vs%20Norway
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ashima%20Chibber%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rani%20Mukerji%2C%20Anirban%20Bhattacharya%20and%20Jim%20Sarbh%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

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The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The%20specs
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