Richa Chadha
Richa Chadha is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, with additional credits in Punjabi and other regional film industries. She came to wider attention with her portrayal of Nagma Khatoon in Anurag Kashyap's two-part crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and has since built a body of work characterised by independent, content-driven cinema.
| Full name | Richa Chadha |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 December 1986 |
| Birthplace | New Delhi, India |
| Education | Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Delhi; St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Spouse | Ali Fazal (m. 2022) |
| Notable works | Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan, Fukrey series, Sarbjit, Inside Edge, Heeramandi |
Background and education
Richa Chadha was born in New Delhi and brought up in the city. She attended Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and went on to study at St. Stephen's College, affiliated with the University of Delhi. During her college years she was active in theatre, which shaped her later move into screen acting. After college she relocated to Mumbai to pursue a career in films.
Career
Early work
Chadha made her feature film debut in Dibakar Banerjee's Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), in which she played Dolly, a small but noticed supporting role. She subsequently appeared in supporting parts before her breakthrough.
Breakthrough and recognition
Her performance as Nagma Khatoon, the matriarch in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), earned her widespread critical acclaim, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress (Critics). The role required her to portray the character across several decades, despite her relatively young age at the time of filming.
She followed this with Neeraj Ghaywan's Masaan (2015), set in Varanasi, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Promising Future prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Her portrayal of Devi Pathak drew further critical recognition.
Mainstream and ensemble films
Chadha appeared as Bholi Punjaban in the comedy Fukrey (2013) and reprised the role in its sequels Fukrey Returns (2017) and Fukrey 3 (2023), which broadened her commercial appeal. She played Sarbjit Singh's sister in Omung Kumar's biographical drama Sarbjit (2016) opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda.
Other notable films include Ram Leela (2013), Cabaret (2019), Section 375 (2019) opposite Akshaye Khanna, and Madam Chief Minister (2021), in which she played the lead role of a Dalit politician.
Streaming and television
She played Zarina Malik in Amazon Prime Video's Inside Edge, one of the first major Indian web series, and continued in its subsequent seasons. In 2024 she appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, set in pre-Independence Lahore.
Production
Along with her husband Ali Fazal, Chadha co-founded the production company Pushing Buttons Studios, under which they have backed independent films, including Girls Will Be Girls (2024), directed by Shuchi Talati, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Personal life
Chadha married actor Ali Fazal in 2022 after a long-term relationship; the couple had become engaged earlier and held wedding ceremonies in Delhi and Mumbai. She is known for taking public positions on social and political issues and has spoken on subjects including freedom of expression, gender, and caste representation in cinema.
Awards and recognition
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress (Critics) for Gangs of Wasseypur
- Screen Award and other critics' honours for Masaan
- Multiple nominations at Filmfare and other Indian film awards across her career
Significance
Richa Chadha is regarded as one of the prominent performers associated with the wave of independent and parallel Hindi cinema that gained prominence in the 2010s. Her selection of unconventional roles, frequently outside the traditional heroine template, has been cited as part of a broader shift in Hindi film towards more layered female characters.