I express my views as a citizen, not as a candidate for office: Richa Chadha

Richa Chadha isn’t one to keep her thoughts to herself. Richa is a vocal public speaker on social media and feels that “I am only doing my job as a conscientious citizen.” She expressed this belief in an informal chat at a Chandigarh film festival.

Richa, who was with her husband Ali Fazal and glowing with pregnancy, answered directly when asked whether her outspoken outbursts were motivated by politics.
“As a tax-paying, moral citizen in a democracy, I have the right to free speech, as do all of us,” she added. “When I have an opinion, it is only mine and I am not acting as a mouthpiece for anyone.” Yet, we often delegate to courts and law enforcement organisations the duty of presenting the appropriate viewpoints.
Ali Fazal and Richa
Richa went on to say that it is incorrect to assume that she has political motivations. “I’m often asked whether I want to get into politics. But is it political or personal if I make comments about pollution or commodity price inflation? I have no desire to work in politics. Toh politics se bahar rehkar apni baat chain se bolne do, bhai kisi ko,” she said.
In addition to discussing political and social matters, Richa was candid while discussing the Indian film business. “In the business, we must fight for everything, just as the Writers Guild of America, or SAG-AFTRA, was able to get justice for its workers during the Hollywood strikes. It’s untrue to say that seasoned performers have things easy. Ali grew his hair and spent the whole year 2023 preparing for a project that was scrapped a few days before it was supposed to premiere. Javed Akhtar battled valiantly to get his lyrical royalties. “Especially with the advent of AI, we all have to be vigilant about our rights,” she said, “because he too won.”