'Everyone shot me down'

Richa Chadda says she wanted to turn producer right after her breakthrough film ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ but it was not taken kindly by the people around her.

“I wanted to produce something right after ‘Gangs...’ I was 24 at that point of time. I said can we invest some money? I had no manager, nothing. Everyone shot me down and said ‘you’re so young and stupid, you won’t be able to do anything’,” Richa said.

Five years later, the actor has finally taken the plunge by producing a short film titled, ‘Khoon Aali Chithi’.

The actor says producing content which one believes in is gratifying. “I want to encourage young people to come forward and take charge. We have something which the previous generation didn’t — the internet. There is a huge democracy in that. There is so much scope. Go out there and make your content,” she says.

While she is known for her stellar performances in films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Masaan’ and ‘Fukrey’, Richa says she learnt different aspects of cinema when she donned the producer’s hat.

“Producing the film was really amazing. It made me look at things from the other point of view; where I am wondering ‘why are actors so expensive, so much money needs to be spent on them, vanity van, make up etc.”

‘Khoon Aali Chithi’ is a 15-minute-long film and explores an innocent love story set against the backdrop of the turmoil in Punjab in the early 90s. Though born in Delhi to a Punjabi father and Bihari mother, Richa says she feels connected to the “soil of Punjab”, a state which has been through a lot. She says, “I am emotionally connected to Punjab.”