Richa Chadda does not like being loud. Though, audiences remember her as motor-mouth Dolly from the 2008 release Oye Lucky! Lucky oye! and the fiery Nagma Khatoon in the recently released Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW), the actress says, she is quite different from what she has portrayed so far.

“I am glad to have convincingly represented these characters. Otherwise, I am a very quiet and calm person,” says Richa, the “quintessential” Delhi girl, who completed schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and graduated with a Bachelors in History from St. Stephen’s College.
A theatre artiste and an emerging talent in so-called “unconventional” cinema, Richa is getting rave reviews for enacting Nagma in GoW. The tough mother who does not hesitate from hurling abuses or spanking her children is far removed from the real life Richa. Confessing, Richa says she found it hard to relate to the character at first. “I found it hard to be her (Nagma) — rather I did not like her. She is unlike what I am in real life. I am not as loud as she is and I cannot spank children. I just can’t keep up with the husband who is philandering around after getting his wife pregnant. This was just not me,” she says. But commitment to work and passion for acting helped her sail through.
“Everyone works for a fee, right? If Sachin Tendulkar plays cricket, it’s his passion for the game and the money doesn’t hurt. It is the same case with me. As long as I enjoy my work and get paid for it, I am comfortable playing such characters,” says she.
The next in line for her is Gangs of Wasseypur 2. Nagma’s character will grow to become a matriarch, and age in the process. “My character is going to age in the sequel. From a young innocent girl to a mature and ‘shouting’ mother, and now an old woman, it was all quite challenging. If you thought that young Nagma was different, the older one is even more so. I had to change my voice, bring out the body language of an old woman. I already know what it feels like to age,” she says.
But was it not a concern being seen in a highly de-glam role and playing a much older character when she is all of 26? Richa says, it’s just a role. “Actresses who are hesitant to play parents are being silly. I feel they are insecure about their youth and beauty. While, I feel very secure in taking up such characters. I feel it is a great component in a role to show an aging person. I am equally comfortable playing a de-glam role. It will be a long journey and there will be many more roles to play,” says the actress, who will be next seen in the Nikhil Dwivedi produced Tamanchey. She says, “My role in Tamanchey will be different from what I have played so far. There are hints of glamour in my character. But please don’t confuse it by thinking it is based on the life of Abu-Monika.”
Just two films old, Richa is a quick learner who knows that waiting to play a good role is worth its while. “I don’t have any regrets about this long delay in my movies. I was doing theatre in between. And the sort of roles I was offered after Lucky (Oye Lucky! Lucky oye! ) were not interesting. Some projects got shelved due to the recession. Then GoW happened.”
This powerhouse of an actress is also finding her base among ace directors, and most of them happen to be from Delhi. “Delhi is a storehouse of talent. I had already worked with Dibakar and Anurag, both from Delhi. We all connect very well and a big group of such talented artistes stay together in Andheri in Mumbai,” says Richa, who still visits Delhi every month.