'Cabaret is my first proper commercial film' – Richa Chadha

Richa Chadha never fails to surprise us with her choice of films and stupendous performances. Now, after gathering praises from all quarters for her recently released film Sarbjit, Richa is all set to impress us all over again with a brand new avatar in her next film Cabaret. In a freewheeling chat, Richa talks about playing the role of a cabaret dancer and how it helped her get comfortable in her own skin.

You will be seen in a brand new avatar in Cabaret, this is the first time that you will be seen in a glamorous role on screen... were you anxious about doing the film?

Why anxious? Rather, I was excited to do something different. I have always followed my instincts and so far most of my decisions have worked and I am hoping this one does too.

I wanted to take a chance and see if people will accept me in this kind of role. So let’s see, I am now excited to see how they will react to it.

With Cabaret you also fulfil your dream of wanting to be a part of a dance film…

Yes, I love dancing. I am a trained dancer and hence I always wanted to do a film, where I can dance. But I never got an opportunity to showcase my talent.

It was always on my wish list. I will be forever grateful to Pooja for giving me my first commercial dance film.

Talking about Pooja Bhatt, she is all praises for you. She is even calling you the hero of her film...

Pooja is really sweet. She was actually contemplating whether to get a dancer for this role or an actor who can dance. I am happy that she offered me this role and had faith in me that I could pull it off.

So what exactly is Cabaret all about?

Cabaret is a story of a survivor. It’s a story of a small-town girl on the run who decides to fight instead of being a victim and how her life changes. It is a very powerful character.

It’s a thriller with lots of dancing, romance, songs… it is my first proper commercial film.

Though you are a trained dancer, didn’t the film push you out of your comfort zone, in terms of the character you play?

The film has been very challenging for me as it did ensure that I step out of my comfort zone. But at the same time, it helped me to explore myself on screen in terms of sexuality.

My character is sexually empowered and I have become more comfortable with myself after this film.

How did you prepare for your role?

I have practised a lot for all the dance sequences. I worked a bit with the choreographer, went back to dancing and basically had loads of fun.

I even learned lyrical jazz, trained in other dance forms like ballet and contemporary. I always wanted to learn all these dance forms and this film gave me an opportunity to do so.

Tell us something about your international project Love Sonia…

I can’t reveal much about the film at this point. All I can say is that I am super excited to be a part of this film.

It’s a challenging part and I am nervous about how I will be able to cope. But the team is very nice and I am looking forward to it.

What else is happening?

I have Jiah Aur Jiah with Kalki Koechlin. It is a beautiful, slice-of-life film, where I play an heiress, and take a trip together with Kalki’s character. Then I have Sudhir Mishra’s Aur Devdas, where I play Paro, that’s it.