Richa Chadha on how playing a brothel madam in Love Sonia affected her mental well-being
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; September 5, 2018)

Her act as a brothel madam in Love Sonia may have won her accolades from audiences at film festivals, but Richa Chadha confesses that the nature of the role left a lasting impact on her. So disturbed was she after the film that she had to visit a therapist to undo the damage it had caused.

"I took a few sessions with a therapist to recover from the role. The is the worst [aspect] of human nature that one can encounter. It was traumatic," says the actor, adding that apart from the turmoil of playing the part on screen, she was also disturbed by the stories she heard of victims of prostitution when meeting NGO workers.

Well aware of the sensitive nature of the film's subject, the actor says she wasn't too keen to be part of a venture on human trafficking. Yet, it was director Tabrez Noorani's vision that made her change her mind.

"I was wary about the treatment of the subject. I didn't want anyone to exploit the subject. Once Tabrez and I discussed the script, I knew he would handle the subject aptly."

Having being emotionally moved by the story, Chadha was also willing to forgo a major chunk of her remuneration. "Certain projects bring about a change in society," she says.