Richa Chadda : A Indian film and theatre actress

Richa Chadda is a Indian film and theatre actress. She made her debut with a critically acclaimed performance in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! where she made her appearance as Dolly. She is best known for her fiery portrayal of the character of Nagma in Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, films based on the Wasseypur District of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India.

Richa Chadda was born in Amritsar and brought up in Delhi, India, to a Hindu-Punjabi father and a Bihari mother. Her father owns a management firm and her mother is a renowned professor at Delhi University, who authored two books and also works with Gandhi Smriti. After completing her schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in 2002, she graduated with a Bachelors in History from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Chadda later went on to get a PG Diploma in Social Communication Media from Sophia College, Mumbai.

Richa began her career as a model and then she moved to theater. She has performed plays touring in India and Pakistan. Later, she also received her training under Barry John.

Richa acted in the critically acclaimed movie Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as the character of Dolly, both the movie and her role were well appreciated. She was cast by Anurag Kashyap for his movies Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 wherein she plays the pivotal character of Nagma Khatoon in the narrative. In the movie, she matured from 16 to 60 years of age. She got the name "Ms. Fire" for her spirited portrayal in the epic movie. This performance was well appreciated by the Critics. The movie was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and the entire cast was present at the event.

Rediff.com called it the Second Best Performance of the Year: "In a film packed with crazy characters stuffed to the gills with quirks and an ensemble throbbing with authentic, theatrical intensity, it takes some significant magic to stand out. Chaddha does so almost effortlessly in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs Of Wasseypur, right from its uneven Part One where she violently lambasts the menfolk around her till she gets into a position of control, and the madder Part Two, where she, as matriarch, controls the show. It is a firecracker of a performance, one that sets up Chaddha -- who was so thrilling in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye a few years ago -- as an actress with a tremendous amount to offer."

Karan Anshuman of the Mumbai Mirror said "Richa Chadda essays the strongest and best role written for a woman in recent memory (yes Dirty Picture included) with a memorable performance. For me, Chadda and her character are the best thing about GoW". Khalid Muhammed said "Richa Chadda is first-rate, using her eyes and voice as sharp lethal weapons." Rajeev Masand said : "This film is a male bastion, but the women are unforgettable. Richa Chaddha sparkles as Sardar’s steely wife Nagma."

She won the Filmfare Best Actress (Critics) award in 2013, for her performance it was said : "She had a cracking performance up her sleeve, one that nearly stole the show in GOW. Richa’s control over her character’s emotions and the arc, going from a shy newly married girl to an iron handed matriarch, you thought her track was straight from the Godmother. The critics were swayed by her underplay and Richa took home her first Filmfare Award."

Richa is next starring in the movie Tamanchey wherein she plays a glamorous role of an outlaw gangster girl.

Richa has worked with the acclaimed Academy Award Nominated Director Mira Nair in an International Short film that includes the likes of Ben Kingsley in its cast. The movie will be released in 2013.

Richa is acting in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic movie Ram Leela, a Gujarati version of Romeo & Juliet, wherein she plays the character of Raseela. The film is currently under production and is likely to be released in late 2013.

Richa has also been signed by Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment for their upcoming movie Fukrey, wherein she plays the role of a female mafia don called Bholi Punjaban. The film is slated to be released in Summer of 2013.