Richa Chadha is currently in the third trimester of her first pregnancy with actor-husband Ali Fazal. The couple announced their big news in February this year and she is due to deliver their kid in July. The actor has already planned out her maternity leave and when she aims to resume work. “I am planning to get back to work by October,” she tells us.
Elaborating further, Chadha reveals that the first film she shoots after delivery is a musical romcom which will have 18 songs. “We plan to start shoot in the second week of October. It’s happening in a hill station in Himachal Pradesh. We need the season of autumn and the skyline of Himachal, just before the onset of winter, for our shoot. The film is about a musical band in a small hill town. It’s a love story but it’s kind of like a family film as well with a lot of dynamics. We are currently in the pre-production stage and work is not stopping,” she informs.
Ask the 37-year-old if Fazal also plans to take a paternity leave post their child’s birth, and she says, “You’ll have to ask this to him, but he is very hands-on and he is timing his work commitments also accordingly. I think fathers should always be around. It’s not just about helping the mother but also about getting time with the child.”
Chadha actively promoted her recent series Heeramandi during her pregnancy and has been focusing on her work commitments as an actor and a producer diligently during this phase. She insists that she gets her inspiration from the women around her. “I saw my mother getting back to work within a month of having my brother. The women who work in our house, who do the cleaning, who cooks, ask them how much time do they get for maternity leave? Those women are my heroes,” she says, adding, “It comes down to how much help you can get and what is the kind of support system around you in your family. That’s the kind of thing that matters to new mothers. We have planned in such a way that neither me nor Ali stop working during this time as work is our elixir.”
{{/usCountry}}Chadha actively promoted her recent series Heeramandi during her pregnancy and has been focusing on her work commitments as an actor and a producer diligently during this phase. She insists that she gets her inspiration from the women around her. “I saw my mother getting back to work within a month of having my brother. The women who work in our house, who do the cleaning, who cooks, ask them how much time do they get for maternity leave? Those women are my heroes,” she says, adding, “It comes down to how much help you can get and what is the kind of support system around you in your family. That’s the kind of thing that matters to new mothers. We have planned in such a way that neither me nor Ali stop working during this time as work is our elixir.”
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