Richa Chadda

Richa Chadda is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. After debuting with a bit role in the comedy film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), she worked as a supporting actress in several films. Her major breakthrough was a supporting role in the film noir gangster saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), where her role as the bellicose and extremely foul-tongued wife of a gangster earned her a Filmfare award. Her sole foray into mainstream cinema has been as a supporting character in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013). In 2015, Chadda made her debut in a leading role with the drama Masaan, playing a girl caught in a blackmail situation after indulging in casual sex. The film got a 'standing ovation' when screened at the Cannes film festival. The film has been cited as a milestone in Chadda's career and through it she is said to have created a niche for herself in the Hindi film industry. Chadda has also worked in theatre, essaying the role of a married Delhi-based women in Trivial Disasters (2014). In May 2016, Chadda revealed in an interview to NDTV that she had suffered from bulimia (an eating disorder) for several years, and that she had recovered after seeking professional help from a clinical psychiatrist. Attributing her eating disorder to patriarchy, misogyny and the prevalence of the 'male gaze' in the field of entertainment, 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' which oppressed women. Also in May 2016, Richa was seen in the biopic Sarbjit, where she essayed the role of Sukhpreet Kaur, Sarbjit's wife. While the film didn't do well at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, Richa was singled out for her performance and garnered her her second Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actress.