Richa Chadha: When a film like Sir is trending, it makes me feel that Indians are hungry for good content

Whether true talent or art is recognised in the film industry over just money has for long been a debate

Whether true talent or art is recognised in the film industry over just money has for long been a debate. Big films, which are regular masala potboilers, rake in the numbers, while small, thought-provoking ones often miss the target at the box office.

Actor Richa Chadha was seen recently in the film Madam Chief Minister.

Richa Chadha, who’s had a mix of both, doesn’t agree with us giving good content it’s due only if it is recognised internationally. Masaan (2015) is one example from her filmography, which was critically acclaimed both in India and abroad, but didn’t rake in the moolah.

“I don’t think that is the case. We tend to believe Indians do not (appreciate content), but look at the content they are liking on OTT platforms. When a film like Sir, headlined by Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber is trending, it makes me feel that Indians are hungry for good content,” she says.

The need for good marketing is paramount today, she continues, to create buzz around the project. “As you grow, you realise how important it is to have a good distributor, and a person to market films. Those things become crucial. I remember Masaan had gone to Busan, and it was heartbreaking for me and the director (Neeraj Ghaywan) to see yahaan pe shows hi nahi hain. If someone in Musoorie wanted to watch it, they had to drive down to Nainital, someone in Baroda had to go to Ahmedabad. Those things hurt the business of a film,” says the 34-year-old.

Though the aim is never to make only money with such films, Chadha adds that it is anyway crucial for them to perform at the box office too.

“What happens is, the minute niche films like these don’t do well or doesn’t do numbers, the old dinosaurs that control this field, who act like power brokers of this film industry, they say ‘dekha? Aisi filmein nahi chaltin’. It is very important for these films to do well. If they do, more of them are made, so people don’t have to watch the trash that keeps getting churned out. It’s not like ‘logon ko yahi dekhna hai’. In the current crisis, what do you know about logon ko kya dekhna hai,” she explains her point.