Richa’s tryst with dance

Richa Chadha decided at the age of 6 that acting was the profession for her! And Kathak made her a better performer

As a child, Richa spent a lot of time with her grandfather who looked after her when her parents were away at work. One day, when a movie was running on TV, she told him she wanted to be an actress. “It was a Manisha Koirala movie if I’m not wrong,” says Richa.

Her grandfather told her about yesteryear actresses like Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Madhuri Dixit and Asha Parekh, who were graceful and fluid in their movements as they were accomplished classical dancers. He told the little girl that she too must learn classical dance if she wanted to be an actress.

“This triggered my desire to learn dancing; it made me want to learn dancing professionally. And then I coaxed my mother into enrolling me in Kathak classes. I learnt in Delhi for 10 years... straight up till I was in high school, from the age of 6. Today I can confidently say that the rhythm that it introduced in my body has made me an able performer,” says Richa.

“It’s actually quite amusing that I haven’t done any films that really exploit my dancing potential, but I hope to do that in the future someday,” the actress adds. She is looking for a role that can help her use her Kathak skills. “I hope someone reading this will take note,” she smiles.

“When we are kids, we don’t really realize how the words of our elders impact us, but today I feel truly grateful to my grandfather,” Richa signs off.

Richa’s grandfather told her about yesteryear actresses like Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Madhuri Dixit and Asha Parekh, who were graceful and fluid in their movements as they were accomplished classical dancers. He told the little girl that she too must learn classical dance if she wanted to be an actress.