June 25, 2017
Actress Richa Chadha, who is playing a
pivotal role in the upcoming web-series "Inside Edge", says that she
feels discriminated against as a woman in Indian society.
Asked if she experiences any gender-based struggle in the film
industry, Richa told IANS: "No, I do not blame Bollywood. But to be
honest, as a woman, you have to take all your discriminations based on
what men think, right?
"You feel discriminated when realising that even small decisions of
daily life (are) controlled by men... for example, as a girl you cannot
wear short clothes while travelling by public transport."
She added: "So, when you realise that you have to take these small
decisions keeping in mind what men think, you know you are in a
position of disadvantage. Since Bollywood is in India, where the
society limits women's choices like this, why should we blame only the
industry?"
In "Inside Edge", Richa is playing the role of an actress who owns a
cricket team and is trying hard to protect it from corruption and
match-fixing.
"My character is very interesting and complex because she goes through
a lot, but projects herself to the world as a strong woman whereas
inside she is vulnerable at times... She does not cry in public as that
is a sign of weakness for women," Richa said.
Richa feels that while the world of entertainment is changing because
of the growth of digital entertainment worldwide, in India, footfalls
are going down in theatres.
"Our entertainment tax is high so a majority of the population is going
to theatres once in three months. Obviously, that is affecting the
cinema business. So, I can see the shift is happening like America,
where big studios, filmmakers and stars are doing films as well as
web-series... There is nothing wrong in that, the line is blurring,"
she said.
"Inside Edge", featuring Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha and Angad Bedi,
among others, will be live streaming on Amazon Prime Video from July 10.