On the occasion of Valentine's Day, actress Richa Chadha has announced her next film, a love story titled Aakhri Somwar. She will star in it and also turned writer for the film
Richa Chadha
When the world was on pause during the second lockdown, actor Richa Chadha, not satisfied merely with becoming a producer, penned the script of a heartfelt dramedy in which she is set to star herself. The film is tentatively titled 'Akhri Somvaar'. It is about a successful reality TV producer who becomes desperate to get married after someone at work calls her a 'childless cat lady'.
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Richa Chadha talks about Akhri Somwar
Speaking about 'Aakhri Somwar', Richa Chadha shares "It came from my experiences of growing up in a middle-class Punjabi household. From my childhood, I have seen older cousins being set up for arranged marriages and from there emerged this deeply personal story that I think a lot of families will resonate with. When we graduate from college, we are full of dreams and ambitions. Somehow those dreams get dulled when we enter the job market and before you know it, you are in your mid-30s hoping to have both a career and a husband/family but society thinks it's too late and you become jaded because the dreams are now not achievable. It is a slice-of-life story, about coming together. I think there is currently a dearth of family entertainment. And I think as an actor, my comic timing has been greatly under-utilized. Speaking as a producer, it is a monetizable asset".
'Aakhri Somwar' promises to be a refreshing take on love, societal expectations, and the lengths one goes to for a dream wedding. Richa remains tight-lipped about the director who has been chosen to helm this project.
Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal as producers
The actor couple turned producers with the film 'Girls Will Be Girls'. The film did rounds at international film festivals before being released in India on an OTT platform.
Girls Will Be Girls, starring Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi, tells the story of a 16-year-old girl’s complex relationship with her mother. Before its India release, it won two awards, including the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category, at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Despite the awards and acclaim, the film didn’t release on the big screen, instead premièring on an OTT platform. Had they expected more from this industry as first-time producers? “I expect nothing. We are no one to make demands. We will make our own way,” Chadha says defiantly.
