One doesn’t have to be an activist to call out wrong

Actor Richa Chadha says her determination to be a “decent human being” motivates her to take a stand on sociopolitical issues.

Chadha, admired for her power-packed performances in movies such as Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Gangs of Wasseypur series, Masaan and Fukrey films, is known for taking unflinching stands on key issues, often making her a target of trolls on social media.

The 34-year-old actor, however, has no plans to mellow down as she said that she will continue to speak her mind.

“I think everybody wants to speak their mind and they used to. They used to be able to speak their mind and be honest and comment on fuel price rise or something or the other. And I think it comes from wanting to be a decent human being,”

Staying silent, especially in the face of something wrong, is not a “good idea”, the actor said. “You don’t have to be an activist or somebody who’s very outspoken. But if something wrong is being done to another person, you’re just staying silent because you’re afraid of something, then that’s not a good idea.”

Chadha recently launched a social media initiative, The Kindry, with an aim to amplify the everyday positive stories from the society amid the pandemic. The actor has started a dedicated Instagram page with her friend and entrepreneur Krishan Jagota, where they will highlight people and their acts of positivity.

Chadha said she started the page in response to all the horrific stories that she heard and read about during the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in India in April and May this year.

“Day in and day out I was reading news about some or the other tragic thing happening around us. I felt that it would start affecting our collective psyche as Indians.

“Sometimes, we get lost in the overall cacophony of everything. So, we wanted to highlight those people who are doing good deeds, make them famous, talk about real life and that’s how this initiative started,” she added.