New Delhi, Dancing with a 10 kg vest, 99 takes were not used for one shot and there was a danger that her small role in the ensemble would go unnoticed. There were memories and a lot of risks, and it paid off, says Richa Chadha about her role as Lajjo in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus "Hiramandi: The Diamond Bazaar".
Chadha said she was initially worried that her beloved prostitute role, which was in only the first two of the eight-episode series, would be lost. But she always believed in “quality over quantity” and that didn't bother her.
“I'm really happy that the risk paid off because it was a risky part to play.It's too short and there's always a risk that it will get lost in eight episodes with the entire cast. (It has a) big star cast and other people are also getting a lot of love, for that reason, I was a little afraid that it would get lost, but I'm really happy that it didn't happen,'' Chadha said in an interview. Told.The 37-year-old star had to go through a rigorous process to bring to life the tragedy of a prostitute who dreams of a romantic future while drowning her reality in alcohol.
"Women like Lajjo are all around us. I think that's why there's so much love for this character, even though she's in the 1940s and we're in 2024 now... There's this sense of empathy because everyone's heart is broken at some point." "Never Broken At some point, I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like the role because everyone can relate to a wounded soul," she said.The actress said she was confident people would connect with the feeling of heartbreak, but she did not expect the praise to be "so unanimous" and to come not only from critics and fans but also from industry peers. Also wanted to clarify that after a certain point, it is up to the actor to break through. If I had played any other character in the show, it is possible that I would have been in the entire eight episodes. It brings something new, but there is no element of surprise."
There were many challenges on the way.The actress, who learned Kathak from a young age, practiced with around 10 kg of weights for her final dance, where at one point, she was simply twirling. Chadha said it was difficult to accomplish this as to keep things fresh. Bhansali changed the choreography at the last moment.
“I had to make sure that my feet didn't leave the autopilot of the dance because even though she's emotionally broken, she won't stop dancing. She's learned it from a young age and it shows that anyone who knows dance can do that." It was important not to miss the beat, the footwork and to match the emotional turmoil with the camera movement."
Chadha remembers that he gave 99 takes for a shot, which was not even used in the series.Bhansali wanted the "sehra" (a headdress made of flowers) that she wears during the dance to fall on her face in a certain way and he kept working on it. For take after take, before he decided to leave it."It's the thrill of working with a director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I'm in this moment, he's so alive that he doesn't remember who he is. Or who you are. He wants that memorable shot and he will go to any extent to get it.So between the two of us, we were able to bring our emotions to that moment and maintain it until we got the right shot."
The actor is happy to work with Bhansali again after "Ramlila".
"Heeramandi", which is Bhansali's first streaming feature film, premiered on Netflix on May 1. Chadha is expecting her first child with husband Ali Fazal and is using "Heeramandi" to prepare for the next phase of her life. She plans to take "a nice break" after the promotion of .
“When I first heard about the release date, I was a little worried about sitting for interviews or traveling for promotions, but I guess life has its own plans.So that's it. I just go with the flow. And, of course, I am about to enter a very exciting phase. "I feel like I deserve a good rest and want to focus on my health."
Apart from acting, Chadha and Fazal have also become producers.His debut project "Girls Will Be Girls" has already won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival and will now be screened at the 2024 edition of the Cannes Film Festival under the Cannes Film Festival. The actor, who starred in "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! " Made his debut from. And he has worked in films like 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Masaan' and 'Sarbjit', adding that he and Faiza are trying to make 'small changes' in the industry to make it more inclusive.
"When we enter the industry, we know what it is. Questions about equal opportunity don't bother me... There is no equal opportunity in life and this industry is nothing but a microcosm of that." Not there.I don't think we've consciously tried to do anything extra or be evangelists for any kind of change. "We took things from our own experiences that we wanted different about the business and we made it Tried to see if we could make those small changes."
Chadha said she was initially worried that her beloved prostitute role, which was in only the first two of the eight-episode series, would be lost. But she always believed in “quality over quantity” and that didn't bother her.
“I'm really happy that the risk paid off because it was a risky part to play.It's too short and there's always a risk that it will get lost in eight episodes with the entire cast. (It has a) big star cast and other people are also getting a lot of love, for that reason, I was a little afraid that it would get lost, but I'm really happy that it didn't happen,'' Chadha said in an interview. Told.The 37-year-old star had to go through a rigorous process to bring to life the tragedy of a prostitute who dreams of a romantic future while drowning her reality in alcohol.
"Women like Lajjo are all around us. I think that's why there's so much love for this character, even though she's in the 1940s and we're in 2024 now... There's this sense of empathy because everyone's heart is broken at some point." "Never Broken At some point, I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like the role because everyone can relate to a wounded soul," she said.The actress said she was confident people would connect with the feeling of heartbreak, but she did not expect the praise to be "so unanimous" and to come not only from critics and fans but also from industry peers. Also wanted to clarify that after a certain point, it is up to the actor to break through. If I had played any other character in the show, it is possible that I would have been in the entire eight episodes. It brings something new, but there is no element of surprise."
There were many challenges on the way.The actress, who learned Kathak from a young age, practiced with around 10 kg of weights for her final dance, where at one point, she was simply twirling. Chadha said it was difficult to accomplish this as to keep things fresh. Bhansali changed the choreography at the last moment.
“I had to make sure that my feet didn't leave the autopilot of the dance because even though she's emotionally broken, she won't stop dancing. She's learned it from a young age and it shows that anyone who knows dance can do that." It was important not to miss the beat, the footwork and to match the emotional turmoil with the camera movement."
Chadha remembers that he gave 99 takes for a shot, which was not even used in the series.Bhansali wanted the "sehra" (a headdress made of flowers) that she wears during the dance to fall on her face in a certain way and he kept working on it. For take after take, before he decided to leave it."It's the thrill of working with a director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I'm in this moment, he's so alive that he doesn't remember who he is. Or who you are. He wants that memorable shot and he will go to any extent to get it.So between the two of us, we were able to bring our emotions to that moment and maintain it until we got the right shot."
The actor is happy to work with Bhansali again after "Ramlila".
"Heeramandi", which is Bhansali's first streaming feature film, premiered on Netflix on May 1. Chadha is expecting her first child with husband Ali Fazal and is using "Heeramandi" to prepare for the next phase of her life. She plans to take "a nice break" after the promotion of .
“When I first heard about the release date, I was a little worried about sitting for interviews or traveling for promotions, but I guess life has its own plans.So that's it. I just go with the flow. And, of course, I am about to enter a very exciting phase. "I feel like I deserve a good rest and want to focus on my health."
Apart from acting, Chadha and Fazal have also become producers.His debut project "Girls Will Be Girls" has already won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival and will now be screened at the 2024 edition of the Cannes Film Festival under the Cannes Film Festival. The actor, who starred in "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! " Made his debut from. And he has worked in films like 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Masaan' and 'Sarbjit', adding that he and Faiza are trying to make 'small changes' in the industry to make it more inclusive.
"When we enter the industry, we know what it is. Questions about equal opportunity don't bother me... There is no equal opportunity in life and this industry is nothing but a microcosm of that." Not there.I don't think we've consciously tried to do anything extra or be evangelists for any kind of change. "We took things from our own experiences that we wanted different about the business and we made it Tried to see if we could make those small changes."
