Actress Richa Chadha, who is playing a cop in the upcoming web series Candy, says she learns from each script

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Actress Richa Chadha started a meme chain for her own cop avatar in upcoming web series, Candy! Richa says, “From playing a criminal, Bholi Punjaban, in Fukrey to now catching the criminals, I guess I have come a full circle. It’s great to keep exploring different aspects in various roles that I have been offered or will be offered in future.” Directed by Bahut Hua Samman director, Ashish R Shukla, Candy also stars Ronit Roy.

Richa believes wearing the uniform infuses a sense of responsibility, especially when one is in public. She adds, “As we were shooting in small cities of Uttarakhand, wearing goggles and mask made me unrecognisable. People would start wearing a helmet or pull their seat belts in cars after spotting me dressed as a cop! While I couldn’t see myself in the cop avatar, after watching them behave in such a manner, I found it quite interesting.”

As for scripts, Richa has a clear policy. “I learn a thing or two from each script, if it’s a good one, but never something from dark and criminal stories. So, from Candy there’s no life lesson for me to take home, which I don’t follow already.”

Personal note

When it comes to homework for the role, while Richa admits to having talked first-hand to female cops is Mumbai, she was more interested to know the personal aspects. She says, “People are people at the end of the day. So, I wanted to understand them more as a person than just about their duty. I had asked about domestic responsibilities that they were expected to fulfil, the compulsions in their lives, the pressure of rearing children and other aspects, to understand them better.”

The crime thriller series, Candy, revolves around a murder and drug culture among youngsters. Richa says, “We are all on the same side of the law in the series and believe in how drugs are bad. So without sounding preachy, it’s a fictional story that does have a message if one wishes to take it home.”

Social angle

Calling social media a double-edged sword, Richa talks about how people who are in their twenties and thirties are still doing fine, as they have seen a life without social media too. “But I believe the kids who are just seven or eight years old and have their accounts on social media, and teenage girls or boys dancing on reels or pulling pranks, is not good for society. They are spending more time on the screen rather than playing outside and meeting real people. At the same time, if social media provides a platform to voice opinions, it has also enabled trollers to exploit the medium,” she adds.

Hands full

On the work front, Richa is waiting for the release of her film Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai and is doing another web show, Six Suspects, which has her and Scam 1992- fame Pratik Gandhi as well as four others in the lead roles. She will start a new untitled film by the end of October. The filming of Fukrey 3 was also delayed because of the second wave of Covid. She has also come up with a Hindi audio thriller, Virus 2062, which is her first project with her fiancé, Ali Fazal. She adds, “We made it like a radio film. It’s the first time we have collaborated for some project and I can’t wait to do this again. About podcasts, they are already popular and interesting. I really enjoy The Heart Podcasts.”

Candy will release on September 8 on Voot Select.