Richa Chadha has her hands full, with projects such as the upcoming romantic political thriller, Daas Dev, which will see her in a more serious role than usual. In an interview over the phone, we caught up with the actress, along with Varun Sharma — both co-stars of the 2017 comedy Fukrey Returns, directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba — which they’re currently promoting, ahead of the film’s TV premiere.
Richa lets us in on a little more about Daas Dev, directed by Sudhir Mishra. “Daas Dev is a modern take on the classic. I play a politically ambitious character, Paro. When Dev and Paro have a fight, she actually decides to stand against him as a rival in the elections,” says the 30-year-old actor, who calls the film a game of power. Daas Dev, thus, also offers a modern take on feminism, she adds.
The Amritsar-based actor then takes a moment to reminisce the shoots of Fukrey Returns. “It’s good to be back in Delhi, where most of the film was shot,” she says. “I can never forget the underground localities on the outskirts of Gurgaon. The role of a don that I played, Boholi Punjaban, will be special.” We learn that Richa’s next film will be a biopic on Shakeela, the South Indian glamour actress — which only goes to prove that she’s definitely trying out different roles. “It just happens. I meet the director, read the script and get the feel of the story. If it strikes me, then I do the film,” she says.
When Richa is not on the sets, she’s trying to finish her book, which is way beyond its deadline. “I love
writing, and this is my first attempt. The book will be a collection of personal essays and anecdotes. I wish I had more time to complete it,” says the actor. With back-to-back films and shooting for the next two months, all she wants for now is a vacation to catch up on sleep!
Laughter therapy
Varun Sharma, meanwhile, is possibly best remembered as Chucha Singh from Fukrey, a film that marked his debut in Bollywood, and earned him a huge fan following. The Punjabi actor was also a part of the sequel Fukrey Returns, which released five years after the original. “The film helped me lay a foundation for my character, and I found the sequel to be tougher. We had to build on the humour. There was more pressure,” says the 28-year-old actor.
Varun is also busy with a handful of upcoming projects. His next film, Fry Day is with Govinda, and will release by the end of May. He is currently also shooting for Arjun Patiala opposite Kirti Sannon. So, are there more humorous flicks we can look forward to? “It took a long time for me to unwind from my role in Fukrey,” says the actor, who was later seen in Dilwale, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon and Dolly Ki Dolli.” We learn about his interest in other roles, but one thing Varun is sure about, is comedy. He wants to try different genres, but he’d always like to add a pinch of humour to whatever role he performs. We ask him about stand-up comedy, and the actor says, “I admire stand-up comedians. My favourite is Zakir Khan. It’s a whole new ball game. I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot in the future,” says the actor.
Watch Fukrey Returns on April 1 at 8 pm on