Richa Chadha recalls how her Nani warned her about marriage as a child: 'No one would want to marry you'

Richa Chadha is one of Bollywood’s most outspoken and versatile actors. Known for her powerful roles in films like ‘Masaan’, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, and the popular ‘Fukrey’ series, she’s also admired for voicing strong opinions on social issues.

Richa recently opened up about facing gender bias as a young girl, not from the outside world, but from her own family. Speaking to Lily Singh in a new interview, she shared a moment from her childhood that stayed with her.


“I was a kid just jumping on the bed, and my Nani, who was visiting us, said, ‘If you keep jumping like this, no one would want to marry you. You can't do this in your in-laws' house. I didn’t even understand what she was saying. I must have been seven or eight. And I was like, is she crazy?” Richa recalled.

Her grandmother’s words came from a different time

Richa said she didn’t understand what her grandmother meant back then. But later, her mother helped her understand where those words were coming from. Her grandmother was not trying to be mean, she was simply speaking from her own life experience.

“She was born in 1920 and got married at the age of 13. So, she was coming from that context,” Richa explained.

‘Focus on the sons’ – Richa’s strong message on gender equality

In the same interview, Richa was asked what we can do to make the world a better place for girls. Her answer was simple and powerful: we need to raise better boys.


“Just focus on the sons. You have to focus on the sons. That's it. It's not the daughters doing it to other daughters. The son needs to have a strong bond with his father. The son needs to understand consent from the mother. The son needs to see that the father treats the mother and sister well. The sister has to be fed the same as the son and sent to school. Women are the backbone of our country. We can't be happy if 50% of the population is watching who is following them, stalking them,” she said.