Richa Chadda

Chadda at event celebrating Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 and Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2

Chadda made her acting debut in a supporting role as Dolly in Dibakar Banerjee-directed 2008 film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. She appeared in the 2010 comedy film Benny and Babloo as Fedora. In the meanwhile, a Kannada movie in which she had acted, titled Nirdoshi was released in 2010 after a delay of almost three years.[12][13]

In 2012, she played a pivotal role in Anurag Kashyap's crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1. The plot (spanning 50 years) tells a story of power struggles, politics and vengeance among three crime families. She stated in an interview that this role as 'Nagma Khatoon' helped her get 11 film roles.[14] The film premiered at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. She reprised her role as Nagma Khatoon in the sequel Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2. The film premiered in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival with its prequel. Chadda received a Filmfare Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category[15] and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.[16]

Chadda's first release of 2013 came in the Mrighdeep Singh Lamba-directed coming of age comedy film Fukrey, in which she portrayed a tough-talking female don Bholi Punjaban. She then appeared in one of the segments in the Anurag Kashyap-produced anthology film Shorts titled "Epilogue". Chadha and Shirvastav play a dysfunctional couple who seem extremely unhappy with each other.[17]

Chadda next appeared in a supporting role as Rasila in Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed drama film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. She received a nomination in IIFA Best Supporting Actress category for the role. Chadda next appeared in Navneet Behal-directed 2014 film Tamanchey in the role of Babu, a criminal. It was screened out of competition at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[18] Her next movie was a biopic of Charles Sobhraj, Main Aur Charles.[19]

In January 2016, Chadda appeared as a journalist in the social-drama Chalk n Duster.[20][21] She later appeared in Sarbjit, a biographical-drama film based upon the life of Sarabjit Singh. She portrayed the role of Sukhpreet, and share screen alongside Aishwarya Rai and Randeep Hooda.[22]

In 2017, Richa acted in an Indian web-series Inside Edge, playing the lead character of a struggling actress.[23] The series was positively received by both critics and audience.[24] In the same year, Jia Aur Jia was released. The film received unfavorable reviews from critics and did not perform well at box office too.[25][26] After that, she reprised her role as Bholi Punjaban in Fukrey Returns, a sequel to 2013 film Fukrey.[27][28][29]

Richa Chadda worked in Sudhir Mishra's version of the Devdas saga, entitled Aur Devdas as Paro.[30] Her much delayed film with Pooja Bhatt, Cabaret, released on 9 January 2019.[31] Chadda also worked for David Womark's Indo-American production Love Sonia. The film had its world premiere at the London Indian Film Festival on 21 June 2018.[32] The film was released in India on 14 September 2018.[6][33] Her two films, Section 375 a courtroom drama produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak and directed by Ajay Bahl,[34] co-starring Akshaye Khanna was released on 13 September 2019.[35] And her second film Panga directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari with Kangana Ranaut as main lead, was released on 24 January 2020.[36] And her Upcoming web-film Lahore Confidential ZEE5 Spying thriller film includes a cross-border love story for RAW Agent Ananya, played by Richa,Chadda released on 11 December 2020.[37] Her latest film Shakeela released in theatres on 25 December 2020.[38]

Her upcoming film includes Anubhav Sinha’s Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai.[39]

In 2021, she started her own film production company named Pushing Buttons Studios with Ali Fazal.[40][41]

In 2014, she posed as a mermaid for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ad campaign, encouraging people to avoid eating fish and to go vegetarian.[50] The same year, she walked the ramps of Lakme Fashion Week[51] and performed in a play called Trivial Disasters.[52] Although she appeared in PETA ads supporting vegetarianism, she opposed the beef ban in Indian state of Maharashtra.[53]

She had also done advertisements for Minute Maid, Tata Sky, Archies Gallery, Virgin Mobile and Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate.[54]

In January 2020, the actress had expressed solidarity with the students victimized in the JNU attack joining other actors from the film fraternity like Taapsee Pannu participating in a protest in Mumbai.[55] Earlier, she opposed a police crackdown on Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University students that took place on 15 December 2019 when students in these two campuses were protesting the India's Citizenship Amendment Act.[56]