Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have turned producers, and in a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, the actress spoke about maintaining equality on the set of their first production. “We didn’t do any discrimination that someone will stay in a good hotel, and others will stay in a bad one. I also stayed where everyone was staying, and so did Ali. So people could understand that we are not being starry. Secondly, we gave the actors tons of space – whether they were there for a day or two, or they were the leads and needed workshop space or needed silence,” shares Richa.
The Fukrey actress further adds, “Because we are actors ourselves, we could empathize. We could also understand that if we discriminate on the set, then it impacts people’s morale. Since it has happened with us in the beginning – (for instance), one will get a sharing vanity with three people, and the other one will get a single door. And it’s not about style but it’s about comfort.”
Has she ever faced this discrimination as well? “It’s happened several times. In fact, on my first film there was a time when I felt really bad. I had come straight from college to do a scene in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye, and I had 103-104 fever. I was told that someone is going to come at a later time, so till then I can use this particular vanity van, and for the whole day I would anyway be shooting. So I got ready and left, but in the meantime someone came, their staff threw all my stuff,” recalls Richa Chadha.
Dealing with a co-star’s jealousy
She further elaborates, “I looked at how terrible it was. I didn’t have my own makeup and hair material, they belonged to the company itself. But they threw the stuff, and someone’s lipstick got damaged, someone’s mirror broke – so I felt really bad. How can they do this? I come from privilege but I am not foolish that other people will not spend money, this is their investment, it’s their daily bread and butter. You can’t do this with someone, but these things happen. Thankfully, I think now because of social media and everyone has a camera in their phones, people are aware of these things, but it does happen sadly. Unka phir hota kuch nahin hai, those who behave like this. In my experience, it’s not karma or whatever. But Punjabi people, anyway we are generous and giving, so it doesn’t sit well with me.”
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