Known for portraying ballsy roles on screen, the actress will now be seen in a series that has a mix of suspense and mystery. She is set to play the role of a cop investigating sinister murders in a school in a small hilly town. The film, which is helmed by Ashish R Shukla, will also have Ronit Roy in the lead role.
Richa confesses that she finds preparing for roles tougher than acting them out. “Portraying the role of a cop was not easy. It demanded a very different mental make-up. I was lucky enough to hang out with some female cops and understand the dual pressures of managing the needs of the family in the Indian social set up, and working as a law enforcer,” she adds.
Richa, who very recently also turned producer with the launch of her new production venture, Pushing Buttons Studios, feels very lucky to have worked with female producers. In fact, she tells us that her work with producers like Guneet Monga and French producers Melita Toscan Du Plantier and Marie-Jeanne Pascal in Masaan, Priya Sreedharan in 3 Storeys, Rucha Pathak in Panga, and Arati Kadav in the short film 55km/sec genuinely motivated her to not only take the plunge herself but also to produce supportive and progressive content herself.
“These women are my pillars of strength as they taught me how to think, believe and execute like a producer. The work I have been fortunate to do with all of them has been absolutely surreal. Today, I feel motivated and empowered to take the plunge myself because of them. I truly am very lucky to have worked with such wonderful and talented producers in my projects in the past,” articulates Richa.
Bringing in home
Meanwhile, Richa’s home production Girls Will Be Girls is an Indo–French coproduction, which challenges taboos about sexuality and is set in a boarding school in a small town in the Himalayas. It tells the story of a teenager named Mira and her relationship with her mother.
Incidentally, Girls Will Be Girls was the only Indian script invited to the prestigious Berlinale Script Station 2021, a lab that selects 10 projects from around the world every year. Undoubtedly, the actress enjoys her role as a producer.
“With so many options available in the market as well as in our hands today, one must think of utilising them all in the best way possible. For an actor, just sticking to acting and not willing to explore other areas is, I feel, an underestimation. When things have diversified and are continuing to do so rapidly today, actors too should expand their horizons with it because from where I can see it, it’s actually quite limitless. So yes, participation and a better understanding of other departments of the filmmaking process are very fruitful for an actor in these times,” adds Richa.
Adding to that line of thought, Richa also believes that actors must take risks” she explains her thought. “Going by that principle, I ensure that every role or character that I play on screen brings something new to the table not only for the audiences but also for me. But most importantly, I believe in doing what makes me happy and taking on a variety of roles is something I’ve always known to genuinely enjoy and hope to keep doing so in the future,” she explains.
