She’s an intense actress, while he’s as commercial as an actor can be. But with ‘3 Storeys’, their latest project together, Richa Chadha and Pulkit Samrat have chosen to play roles vastly different from what they have done in the past. While Pulkit is doing a dark and intense film for the first time, Richa plays a seductress with a twist. Meanwhile speculations have been rife that the two are at loggerheads due to an alleged fallout between Pulkit and Richa’s beau, Ali Fazal, during the promotions of their last release. But both are quick to dismiss the rumours. Excerpts from their interview:
Pulkit, contrary to the rumours of a tiff between you and Ali (Fazal) during the promotions of ‘Fukrey’, you seem to get along with Richa like a house on fire…
Richa: Yes, we are friends, more like bros. We have been hanging out since ‘Fukrey’.
Pulkit: She is the only girl I can call at 2 am.
Richa: That was a joke. I would like to say that these stories of catfights and tiffs between co-actors would probably work in the 90s, but not anymore. Such stories do not lead to any awkwardness, but only make us laugh.
Richa, how does it feel when people cast aspersions on your relationship with Ali, calling it a publicity stunt?
Pulkit: Publicity stunt toh nahi pata, but stunt hai. Handling Richa and Ali is as good as a stunt.
Richa: Theek hai yaar, we are explosive together. On a serious note, I find it very offensive when people call our relationship a publicity stunt. We don’t need to resort to such gimmicks for publicity as we are already famous. We may not be mega stars, but people know us. We don’t need publicity; certainly not through
such tactics.
Talking about ‘3 Storeys’, which is set in a chawl, how did you familiarise yourself with the life there?
R: I have had friends who have lived in such conditions and I’ve hung out with them in chawls.
P: I don’t think you have to live in a chawl to understand the lifestyle. When you come from a different city, you have to toil and slog before you can accomplish your dreams in Mumbai. You experience and learn everything and that’s the beauty of this city.
What’s easier to work in — an unconventional subject like this or an out-and-out commercial film?
R: Fukrey, which was a typical commercial film, was not easy to make either. Even for actresses (in a commercial film), being on low-carb diet, not eating salt for a few days, wearing a 20-kilo heavy ghaghra and dancing are difficult tasks.
P: Acting is not easy. People get petrified while facing the camera. They become conscious even while clicking a picture. You have to get rid of all your inhibitions. If you are a kid at heart all your life, then you can be a good actor. It is about being convincing but having fun, too.
What are the most bizarre rumours you’ve heard about yourself?
R: Lots. People think I am not funny. I am very intense. My favourite one is, isko bohot gussa aata hai. In fact, Pulkit knows how rarely I get angry. Another one is that I can’t dance. People also feel I am not happy. I am often asked if I feel that I have got my due as an artiste. I say that I am flattered that you think I deserve more! Being outsiders, we have made our careers brick by brick. I am proud of what we have achieved.
P: The notion people have about me is that I am always angry and irritated. Also, I report late to work and I am not serious about my job. But if all these things were true about me, people wouldn’t be working with me.
Richa, you feel strongly about a lot of issues plaguing the industry. Does that reflect on the kind of films you choose?
R: Just the other day, someone told me, ‘We need a fair girl for the part’. We slot actresses according to their skin colour. The film industry is obsessed with looks, however, these things don’t bother me. There are actresses who are 40, but look 30 because they have done every plastic surgery possible and they say, ‘I only eat natural and drink coconut water’. That makes me feel better about myself. At least, I am real. So, while I have been affected by nepotism in the industry, I have not suffered so much on gender equality or pay parity issues. Maybe, because I am not at that level where I am drawing people to the theatres. I find other ways to contribute to society rather than doing films, which deal with issues. Kyunki films mein bhadaas nikaalne ke liye karungi toh bohot gadbad ho jaayegi. Suppose I become a symbol of woman empowerment, and then I play Bholi Punjaban (her character in the ‘Fukrey’ franchise), who is a criminal dealing in drugs and is involved in sex-trafficking? I don’t want the burden of my personality on the characters I play.
Is it difficult to be opinionated in an industry, where everyone is trying to pander to someone’s ego?
R: Do I look afraid? I don’t give a damn! One of the reasons I wanted to become an actor was to be able to use my position to say something meaningful. Meryl Streep was trolled for talking about
Donald Trump.
You are known for being strongly opinionated. Do people find you intimidating because of this?
R: I don’t think people are intimidated by me; I think they are respectful of my opinions. But at the same time, I am not an activist. There are actors like Swara Bhasker and Sona Mohapatra, who take their activism far more seriously. I just do my own thing quietly. We pay 51 per cent tax, so as a tax-paying citizen of this country, I can have an opinion. If this makes me opinionated, so be it. People say that Bollywood bigwigs don’t speak up because it can be detrimental for them. Their films get banned in states, they lose endorsements and they are publicly humiliated. Kaun lega itna sar dard? They are already busy. If there was unity among the top stars and they didn’t have their little battles to pick, it would have been a different scenario.

P: She doesn’t have a lot at stake; hence, she can freely talk about things. A lot of people, who are bigger than her, are wary to voice their opinions because they have a lot at stake. Unki shaayad film atak jaaye ya unka relation kisi se saath kharaab ho jaaye. This is a nice place to be, where you don’t have much
to lose.
On a lighter note, Richa, are you planning to settle down with Ali anytime soon?
P: I want to marry Ali.
R: You totally can. You guys have great bromance. On a serious note, I’m not thinking about marriage right now. I want to expand and grow… not horizontally.
P: I’ve recently turned single. Ab mujhe thodi aiyaashi karne do. Being single is better.