Richa Chaddha is all praises for South cinema; says Hindi movie stars have their noses up in the air

After impressing people with her acting skills, Richa Chaddha is now gaining foothold in the realm of podcasts. The actress, whose latest podcast Baby Doll is garnering news, thinks the medium is 'cool' and offers a unique way to tell stories.

Speaking on the same, Richa said, “The audio medium gives you a freedom to explore certain things that would be impossible otherwise, maybe because of censorship or scale of production. This is going to be here, much like the radio plays.”

Films and podcasts are two different platforms and it might be difficult for a mainstream actor to adjust for an audio medium. However, Richa admits that she faced no such thing, thanks to her theatre background. “It’s challenging, but it’s also rewarding because there are things you can do, which you can’t in a film. Like I’ve tried to make my voice sound tired, eerie, or bring in more grain,” the Masaan (2015) actor said.

While the Hindi film industry has seen a wave of interesting cinema in the past few years, the South Indian film industry has also come to the forefront now. Sharing her views on the 'Pan-India Cinema' debate, Richa says, “They’ve got their math right in terms of numbers and ticket prices. That’s why a Master opens to such numbers because a very dedicated fan club of a south megastar ventures out and watches the film. And unlike the Hindi film industry and its greedy film distributors, there they keep the ticket at Rs 100-400 even if its a hit. But over here, due to a ticket priced above Rs 400, footfall will decrease. Audience will pay for food and beverage. Naturally, cinema will suffer. It has more to do with the distribution.”

When asked if she thinks the ticket prices of Hindi films need an overhaul, the actress says she doesn't see anything positive on that front yet.

“I don’t see that happening here, unless you are forced to. Recently, a film was released which I’m sure will come on OTT soon, its leads had their noses up in the air. And when the collection of first day came, it was less than one-third of what the hero charges. If this happens, how will your math work out? Those are the real questions one has to ask and work from there. The bigger stakeholders in the business should take the onus if cinema has to survive,” Richa concludes.