Richa brushes up her kathak skills for Sanjay Leela’s ‘Heera Mandi’

Actor Richa Chadha is all set to star in filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming project, Heera Mandi. Preparations for her role in the film have reunited her with her childhood passion – the classical dance form, Kathak. While she underwent formal training for the art back in the day, Richa was forced to give it up due to her board exams. Little did she know she would come back to it one day and that too for a Bhansali film!

"I trained in Kathak as a kid under Pt Abhay Shankar Mishra for 10 years as a child. Then life happened and my love for dance got left behind. I was afraid I had lost my touch because like any art form, it depends on practice. But it kind of felt like swimming and I think I can float without a lifejacket. I think dance has the potential to make a person more connected, grounded, confident and definitely happier. Movement is medicine,” Times of India quoted her as saying. Richa now hopes to complete her degree this year, under the aegis of her master, Pt Rajendra Chaturvedi.

Speaking of Heeramandi, it will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of the Heeramandi, a buzzing red-light district prior to the Partition of the subcontinent. The project is about love, betrayal, succession, and politics in the kothas, and also promises Bhansali’s trademark larger-than-life sets, multi-faceted characters and soulful compositions.

"Heeramandi is an important milestone in my journey as a filmmaker. This is an epic, first of its kind series based on the courtesans of Lahore. It is an ambitious, grand and all-encompassing series; therefore I am nervous yet excited about making it. I am looking forward to my partnership with Netflix and bringing Heeramandi to audiences all over the world," mentioned Bhansali.

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