EXCLUSIVE: Richa Chadda spills the beans on Unpaused; Talks likely comparison between Shakeela & Dirty Picture

Unpaused hits the OTT platform today. The anthology features a slew of stars, telling five unique stories set in the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Richa Chadda plays the lead in director Nikkhil Advani's tale and stars opposite Sumeet Vyas. Their on-screen relationship undergoes turmoil after Vyas' character is accused of sexual assault. Viewers watch the actress tackle the tough situation. While viewers share their reactions to the anthology, Richa sat down for a quick chat with Pinkvilla to talk about the project. 

The actress revealed that she always wanted to work with director Advani. "I really wanted to work with Nikkhil also. I have been a fan of his work, especially D-Day. So I really wanted to work with him. I really wanted to work with him. I had seen his other work, even Kal Ho Naa Ho, I watched Salaam-E-Ishq in theatre, I was still studying (at the time), I love D-Day. I thought it was quite cool, edgy and commercial so I wanted to explore working with him. So when this script came along, I really felt that this could be the perfect opportunity. I had great fun," she said. 

Richa also gushed about the theme of her anthology. "The script was brilliant. It is a topic we all talk about. We discuss it. I haven't seen many nuanced films made on the subject. I wanted to explore that and obviously, it is very current because it is happening on the theme of the lockdown," Richa explained. 

While Richa plays a different character in the movie, she reveals she did not prepare for the role. "I couldn't prep for it. You can't prep for a situation like that where your partner is accused of something. You can't go into characters because then the real shock of hearing a lie like that, it will not be captured. You can't prepare for a role like that because it has to be a lot of reacting and responding at the moment." 

Asked how she would react if she finds herself in a similar situation, Richa said, "I will deal with it. Life mein things happen. You can't control how other people will behave. It is good enough you could control how you would behave but sometimes for no fault of yours, you are dragged into controversy or some kind of non-sense so you fight it as best as you can." 

While she takes over the small screen this weekend, Richa is preparing to take on the Christmas weekend with Shakeela. The actress plays the titular role in the biopic. Speaking about the project, Richa said, "It's a story of a cult person from the South who we may not be familiar with but then you read up, you realise how strangely huge her stature was at that time and how she didn't really change much about herself. Her life story is an interesting study." 

Asked if there are possibilities that audiences might compare Shakeela with Dirty Picture, given the bold portrayal, Richa said, "No, no, no. We wouldn't dare. I don't think any one of us are trying to compare to that. (Dirty Picture) itself was a really well-made commercial film and it was really entertainment, entertainment, entertainment, and Vidya Balan, of course, made it very beautiful in her vulnerable scenes or alone scene or how she's struggling with what she's struggling. I enjoyed the film. I don't think any of us are attempting to say that we are better or we are in the same league. I know comparisons will happen but that's okay. That's the industry," Richa said. 

Have you watched Unpaused yet? Let us know your review in the comments below. 

ALSO READ: Shakeela Trailer: Richa Chadha goes all out in controversial flick, Pankaj Tripathi amps up the drama