Richa Chadha on newcomers not getting opportunities in Bollywood: When a big film with a star flops, everyone wants…

Recently, filmmaker Hansal Mehta said at an event that filmmakers in Hindi industry need to take risk and cast new faces. Ask actor Richa Chadha, who turned producer last year with Girls Will Be Girls, if things are more challenging for newcomers today and she says, “When I started it was also very difficult, in fact today, youngsters have social media. In 2012-13, there was social media but not as prevalent. Now, there are added benefits that younger people do have for sure.”

However, Richa Chadha adds, “Having said that, we should give more chances to newcomers, but it’s very sad that even established filmmakers in Bollywood tend to stereotype actors. I can say that from my personal experience. Somewhere, the math of the business doesn’t allow us to take chances. And it's not only limited to the actors but filmmakers as well.” Richa insists that the stereotyping hampers everyone, as even renowned faces want to experiment: “A lot of established actors are also down to take risk and dying to do films where their performances will shine, not just their action or dance sequences.”

Many people like filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri have also come out and said that Bollywood is in need of a reinvention. Mention that to Richa and she elaborates on the thinking behind: “When a big film with a big star flops, everyone wants to become safer and safer. They want to have an item song and a certain number of action sequences. But over time, you realise that innovation is the heart of any industry.”

She adds, “I feel quite bad about the fact that in front of us, there are many good examples that already exist, but we don’t take inspiration from them. The south has managed to crack how their films work and how to sort of keep it consistent. We can learn from them. We can learn what happens when a big actor takes a risk on a narrative. They make sure that they make films for their own fans, they make sure the ticket prices are low, and they keep things affordable. Yahaan pe kuch ulta hota hai. When a film is big and there is anticipation for it, people increase the ticket prices. Why am I, a new producer with only one film and who is basically an actor, having to say this to the media? The big stakeholders should be looking at this.”