Pathbreaker

With her striking features, refreshing candour and love for unconventional roles, Richa Chadha is a force to reckon with. In an exclusive cover shoot at the elegant Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, she lets us in on her passion for acting, her all-time favourite spa and the book she is writing…

- Rama Ahuja

She walks in a with a million-watt smile that lights up the impressive lobby of Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. Richa Chadha is full of energy and her enthusiasm is contagious; we can hardly wait to get the shoot started. The massive Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel is spread over 15 acres of lush greenery and we ambitiously zero in on the picturesque poolside that overlooks Powai Lake, the tranquil Quan Spa, the state-of-theart Fitness Centre and the newly opened Lake View Café to shoot the self-made actress. With Richa’s powerful on-camera presence and spontaneity, we not only complete all that is planned, but also manage to squeeze in some additional shots. After a long but fulfilling day, we relax in a Deluxe Suite for a leisurely tête-àtête to discover how she has managed to carve a niche for herself in the world of acting, what she does to keep fit and much more...

Tell us about your childhood

I was quite a naughty child. We lived in a joint family and I grew up with four brothers. We played a lot of games and just like any other child growing up in Delhi, we played a lot of games on the roads – games that you don’t even hear of nowadays. My hobbies back then were more or less the same as they are today. Music, dancing, performing, acting and maintaining a journal have been some of my favourite hobbies. In school, I used to play basketball and even learned kathak. And over weekends, I loved to go trekking.

When and how did you realise you wanted to become an actor?