'As independent, empowered as any other working woman'

Mumbai, Mar 22: Actor Richa Chadha believes she is as "independent and empowered" as any other working woman but that does not mean she is only drawn to such characters.

The actor, known for her powerhouse performances in films such as "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye", "Gangs of Wasseypur" series and "Masaan", said the roles she chooses resonate with reality.

"I'm as independent or empowered as any other working woman in this city. To be pursuing any profession isn't easy because it is still primarily a man's world. It affects how you get paid and your hours of work, among other things.

"It's not like I'm drawn to only these characters. Maybe I'm getting a bit stereotyped. But at least I'm not getting stereotyped as some weeping victim," Richa told news agency.

The actor says her process of selecting projects has changed with time.

"I consider 'Gangs...' my turning point. I can't believe it has been seven years already. I have come a long way since then, especially in terms of what I want to do now. I have the wisdom today," she added.

And that is why, when filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar approached her to feature in the music video "Neel Samandar" as an Andaman tribal, she could not refuse the offer.

"Of course, it meant that shooting the song would be a lot of fun but what I also loved about this was that it showed the matriarchal side of things. Showing that about an island tribe in a music video was very interesting," she said.

Richa said her future projects reflect her "concerns about the world" and she is happy to be a part of them.

The actor will be seen in Indrajit Lankesh's "Shakeela", which features her as the eponymous adult actor who was one of the biggest Malayalam stars of the '90s.

Richa also has Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's sports drama "Panga", Anubhav Sinha's "Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai" and "Section 375", in which she plays a lawyer.

"I am so proud of all these films. I have found films that are echoing my concerns about the world. When I was watching the Oscars, I thought if everybody here could take up things they believe in and do that in a committed way, it would be so much magic on screen."