‘Lost a lot of blood’: Richa Chadha reveals why she took acting hiatus after daughter’s birth

Richa Chadha reflects on postpartum challenges, detailing her difficult delivery and recovery while managing production for her film Girls Will Be Girls.

While many are debating trolls targeting Katrina Kaif over her postpartum look, Richa Chadha, in a recent interaction, reflected on how the postpartum period can be difficult and tiring for mothers, especially working mothers. She also spoke about taking an acting hiatus after giving birth to her daughter, Zuneyra Ida Fazal.

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal welcomed daughter in 2024.

‘I wanted to be seen less’

Speaking to News18, Richa opened up about the impact of her delivery and how she lost a lot of blood during childbirth. Despite the difficult delivery, she wore the producer’s hat and got her first production, Girls Will Be Girls, out. This, however, made her want to stay away from the camera and a film set for a while.

She said, “I wanted to be seen less. I wanted to have my nesting period. Six-eight months after my delivery, I was working very hard to get Girls Will Be Girls out. I was juggling between striking a deal with the platforms, the release, getting everything ready and the deliveries. It was a lot. And it really took a toll on my body. I had to rest. I had to take vitamins.”

For the unversed, Girls Will Be Girls premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it participated in the competition section.The film was critically acclaimed. It was released the same year on Amazon Prime Video. Among the film's accolades, it won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.

‘I had lost a lot of blood’

Sharing details about her difficult delivery, Richa said, “I couldn’t work because I had a natural delivery and I had lost a lot of blood. It took me a long time to recover, health-wise. My brain was foggy. Uss time pe, main kya hi bahar jaake kaam karti? Despite that, I finished a show with an OTT platform. I also did the research for Musafiri, which took a long time. Speed is less when you’re handling so many things. I’m starting a film tomorrow. So, hopefully, you’ll see much more of me.” Musafiri is an upcoming eight-episode non-fiction docuseries written, hosted and produced by Richa.

Bollywood actors Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal legally married in a quiet ceremony in 2020 and later celebrated with grand wedding festivities in 2022. They welcomed their daughter, Zuneyra, on July 16, 2024.

What’s next for Richa?

Before giving birth to her daughter, Richa starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's web show Heeramandi. She will next be seen in Anubhav Sinha's Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai. The film also stars Prateik Patil and Cyrus Broacha.