‘Where The Dirty Picture ends, Shakeela begins’

Sheetal

The Bholi Punjaban of Fukrey, Richa Chadha, has often surprised her fans with her choice of roles. This year, the movie Panga had her play a kabaddi player and now she will be seen in the role of South-Indian adult film actress Shakeela in her upcoming biopic, Shakeela. She had to put on weight, the unhealthy way, to be able to pull off the character.

She says, “If I were not to wear sarees, prosthetics would have come in handy. But it had to look real. While gaining weight was easy, losing those extra pounds was a difficult task.”

After her short film Apartment from the anthology Unpaused was released on her birthday, December 18, on OTT platform, Shakeela is releasing today in theatres. “Getting under the skin of her character and the South-Indian language weren’t a problem. As an actor, it is our job to be ready for all kinds of roles,” says Richa. The movie was shot mostly in Hindi.

About working opposite Pankaj Tripathi yet again, she says, “It’s always fun to work with him. Pankaj ji has his ways while approaching a role. In this film, he has the aura of a successful Southern superstar whose wishes are the heroine’s command.”

When drawing comparisons, one cannot help but remember Vidya Balan’s portrayal of Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture, to which Richa says, “If you look closely it starts with the death of Silk Smitha, which created a void in the industry. In other words, where The Dirty Picture ends, the story of Shakeela begins. And even if comparisons are being made, at least it’s not a bad film to be compared with. In real life, Silk Smitha and Shakeela were very different. The former was ambitious while the latter was in the industry to survive.”

The pandemic affected her plans too. Richa and her boyfriend Ali Fazal decided to postpone their wedding which was scheduled in April this year till everything turns back to normal. She says, “It was disappointing to do the promotions for the movie from home via zoom calls or telephonic interviews but at the same time, the fact that it’s releasing in theatre is reassuring.”

What’s in store for 2021? “Well, there’s one political film titled Madame Chief Minister for which we had shot last year is awaiting its release. A crime thriller, Lahore Confidential, will be available on Zee5 soon. I am doing a sequel of Fukrey next. In web series, another season of Inside Edge and there’s a lot more in store.”