Richa Chadha believes being a feminist is not just a woman but a man’s prerogative as well; talks about enacting sensuous scenes

Richa Chadha feels patriarchy is “often propagated by men”

There have been a lot of discussions about women empowerment and feminism. In 2016, Anushka Sharma was called out by a few media outlets for setting women back with her role in Sultan. According to reports, her character “threw away years of ambition in the most regressive way possible”. Ask Richa if as a feminist, she feels pressurised to pick an ethical or morally right film, and she says, “The responsibility of choosing the right project shouldn’t just lie on women, but men as well.”

She feels everyone should “raise the bar and do what’s right”. “Is feminism only a woman’s prerogative? Shouldn’t it be the other way round? Who propagates patriarchy and causes women to be oppressed? It’s not women, but often men. So, why don’t we say that everybody should write better characters and better content,” says Richa.

The Masaan (2015) actor goes on to say she will probably make mistakes when choosing projects. “I will be called out for it too, because I can’t control everything that goes on.”

Richa says feminism has been depicted by women in varied ways and they have been called out for it too. “I know Beyoncé Knowles has been called a terrorist because of how she portrays sexuality. Madonna has been called a woman who sets back women. There are people who question why sexuality can’t be expressed and things like that. So, I don’t feel an added burden [to pick an ethical project]. I won’t do a film which has a titillating scene for the sake of it,” she adds.

The sole responsibility of choosing the right project shouldn’t just lie on women, but men as well. RICHA CHADHA, ACTOR