Richa Chadha said she was scared about having a baby girl: 'We live in India, I felt like I had to buy a gun'

Richa Chadha expressed her initial fear upon discovering her pregnancy, contemplating the challenges of motherhood amid global issues.

Becoming a mother is often described as one of life’s most profound transformations, and for actor Richa Chadha, that transformation began with fear. In a candid reflection, the actor opened up about the emotional whirlwind she experienced when she found out she was going to have a child.

Actor Richa Chadha said the arrival of her daughter Zuneyra shifted her perspective to one of protectiveness and determination to raise a strong child.

‘I was little afraid,’ says Richa

In an interview with Lily Singh, Richa admitted that her first reaction upon having a child was one of fear. Her initial thoughts were steeped in anxiety, not just about the state of the world, but about the deep personal shift that motherhood brings.

“I was a little bit afraid. There's climate change, there's a genocide, there's so much rubbish going on in the world. Is having a child a good idea? When you are super independent, that bit changes instantly, because you have to be responsible for a human being. To commit to a child's only supply of food for the first six months at least is a big commitment. My initial response was fear. I was like, oh my god, is my life over?”

That fear turned into fierce protectiveness when she learned she was having a daughter. “I was like, ‘We live in India, I have to buy a gun’,” she said, only half-joking. “But then later I was like, ‘No, we will see. We will raise her to be strong like me’,” she added.

Richa and Ali welcomed daughter last year

On 16 July last year, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal welcomed their baby girl into the world. The couple shared the joyful news through a joint statement, saying, “We are tickled pink with joy to announce the arrival of a healthy baby girl on 16.07.24! Our families are overjoyed, and we thank our well-wishers for their love and blessings!” They have named their daughter Zuneyra Ida Fazal. While they’ve shared the happy announcement, the couple has chosen to keep their baby’s face out of the public eye for now.

On the work front, Richa was last seen as Lajjo in Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed show Heeramandi on Netflix. She has signed on for a new film that marks her return to the comedy genre after the success of Fukrey 3.