Richa Chadha calls Bollywood imaginary: 15 families from Bandra to Goregaon think of themselves as Bollywood | Exclusive

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal talk about their first home production, Girls Will Be Girls, which released on Amazon Prime Video last week.

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have turned producer with their new film, Girls Will Be Girls. After wowing audiences at Sundance and other film festivals worldwide, the film was released to wider audiences on Amazon Prime Video last week. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the actor-producers discussed what it took to get the project rolling. (

Richa Chadha talks about her home production, Girls Will Be Girls.

‘Everyone looks for return on investment’

Girls Will Be Girls, the directorial debut of Shuchi Talati, is the story of a schoolgirl battling how to divide time between academics and her first love while navigating a complicated bond with her mother. Talking about the lack of support for the film from financiers, Ali recalls, "When we were taking the film to get made, we would reach out to different people; you get a sense that everyone wants to make their money back. It's an investment. With big films, you have your A-listers, and you know there will be something coming back. Here, you don't know the fate of the film."

However, the actor-turned-producer is happy he stuck with the project. "We were finding our footing in world cinema, so we are going to have those teething issues. But I'm glad we could champion a script like this."

‘Bollywood is imaginary’

When the film's first trailer was released on YouTube, many remarked that 'mainstream Bollywood' would never touch a subject like this. Richa responds, "I feel Bollywood itself is very imaginary. Fifteen families between Bandra and Goregaon think of themselves as Bollywood. But actually, it's not a real geographical location. It's the Hindi film industry, and that keeps changing and evolving. It keeps including new people."

She argues that a mainstream streaming platform like Amazon Prime Video giving space to the film so prominently is also a sign of change. "In a way, a big platform becoming the home of a film like this is also a sign that things are changing. And of course, yes, it helps that we are attached to it," says Richa.

Girls Will Be Girls stars Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti, and Kesav Binoy Kiron.