‘NO AMOUNT OF MARKETING CAN RESCUE BAD CONTENT’
Actor Richa Chadha on how unconventional films are welcomed in mainstream cinema, marking a big imminent change in the industry
With more and more actors pushing the envelope, experimenting with unconventional stories, and making a mark in mainstream cinema, Richa Chadha looks at it as the best phase to try out diverse and even offbeat roles. The actor, who has to her credit a blend of atypical and commercial movies such as Masaan (2015), Gangs of Wasseypur franchise and Fukrey franchise, feels we are headed towards a big change in the industry.
“Interesting offbeat content is being appreciated and welcomed into mainstream cinema. There are so many films endorsing good subjects, and I strongly feel that this will bring a change in the industry,” says Richa, who was last seen in courtroom drama Section 375.
Richa feels people are looking forward to watching more meaningful and entertaining cinema as opposed to just commercial potboilers that used to be the norm at one point. “You see, there’s so much good content around that the change in the industry is happening automatically. Though there are examples of ‘strange and meaningless’ content working well at the box office, it has become fewer than before. Now, no amount of marketing can rescue bad content,” the 32-year-old opines.
Pointing that the line between parallel and commercial cinema is blurring and gone are the days when one would differentiate the two in terms of reception and actors, Richa says, “The audiences don’t really care whether it is an art film or a commercial film. So why do we make such a big deal out of such stuff?” She adds that an actor is an actor and would only give their best to a film that they are a part of.
But what about the typical stereotyping that often happens in case of some actors who continue to do similar kinds of films or roles? “Every actor is doing different parts and experimenting with their journey. In Bollywood, there’s a certain way of looking at actors, even though most of them are doing pretty much everything. Actors like Rajkummar Rao are able to do both kinds of cinema. Every actor can experiment, and the best part is that we are encouraging the same,” shares Richa, who will be seen next in Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s Panga, in which she plays the role of a kabbadi player.