Richa Chadha: Vivek Oberoi and I can discuss politics, but never spoken to Kangana Ranaut about it

Panga actress Richa Chadha believes the citizens of India are the only sthayi vipaksh the country needs, and that dialogue, even between opposing viewpoints, is the only way.

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Richa Chadha: Vivek Oberoi and I can discuss politics, but never spoken to Kangana Ranaut about it
Richa Chadha will soon be seen in Panga.

No, when Richa Chadha and her kin stood in solidarity with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were attacked on January 5 in the university campus, she didn't realise it would turn into a Panga, of sorts, with the establishment. But it did. A tweetstorm ensued and everyone for JNU, or against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was branded 'anti-national'.

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"Indians are fighting Indians," Richa starts off as we connect with her over the phone. The mood of the nation is strange, it's volatile, but question we must, because "the citizens of this country are the only 'sthayi vipaksh'; not any other political party" of India. "It's being said that the nationwide protests are organised by the Congress, but I really don't think the Congress has the clout to mobilise the crowd the way we're witnessing," says Richa.

Closer home, Bollywood seems to be polarised too, at least on Twitter. Does that seep into the workplace for an actor or is it possible to still work amicably? Richa cites two of her recent projects to answer this one. "I have worked with Vivek Oberoi in Inside Edge and I am working with Kangana Ranaut in Panga. Their political alignment is evidently different from mine. But I believe dialogue is important, it is healthy. Vivek and I can sit together and discuss politics; we would never agree, but we can still talk. But I've never spoken to Kangana about it," Richa reveals.

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Yes, a dialogue is important. And that also seems to be the consensus, given the sheer number of Bollywood-politics meets organised over 2019. The most recent one was with railways minister Piyush Goyal. "I wasn't invited to the meeting but it isn't a terrible idea to discuss these things. A lot of times, celebs evade questions from journalists by saying things like 'I am not fully aware of this issue', but what they actually mean is 'I know nothing about this issue.' If these interactions help spread awareness of the right kind, it is welcome," says Richa.

But the Panga actress also clarifies that more than members of the film fraternity, meetings should be held to communicate with the actual stakeholders. "Invite the Opposition, members of the Bhim Army, so everyone is on the same page. I believe the government's intentions are pure, but there needs to be transparency," Richa points out.

Watch Panga trailer here:

From politics, we jump right into Richa's upcoming release, Panga, co-starring Kangana Ranaut and Neena Gupta. The sports-drama essentially follows the life of Kangana, who plans a comeback into the National Kabaddi team as a married, mother of one. "Female friendships are important. Though Hindi cinema has fewer examples of this as compared to male friendships, we have shows like Four More Shots Please exploring the dynamics now," says Richa, and goes on to add, "In Panga, however, more than the friendship angle, Meenu (Richa's character in the film) presents a foil to Kangana's Jaya. Where Jaya quit the sport, and she has her reasons for doing that, Meenu continued, and therefore, parted ways. She is now a player as well as a coach, and meets Jaya again at a time when she is trying to make a comeback."

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The conversation steers to Richa's comedy debut, One Mic Stand. The focus was the interesting premise she chose for her sketch - a Hindu girl dating a Muslim guy. Ali Fazal was seen sitting in the audience, beaming, as Richa delivered punchlines after punchlines. "Ali and I are fundamentally alike. We like the same kind of music, films and books. We're even aesthetically alike. He is a wonderfully creative man. I think our relationship is the by-product of our friendship," Richa says.

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What about Zarina Malik, her character from Inside Edge? "Even I am curious about Zarina," Richa quips, "given how things were left on a cliff-hanger at the end of Season 2 of Inside Edge," strategically holding back from revealing too much. "But expect a lot of characters to come around," Richa concludes.

(Writer tweets as @NotThatNairita)

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