Actor-couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal are riding high on the double win of their debut production Girls Will Be Girls at Sundance Film Festival 2024 in Utah, USA. Speaking to us shortly after the honour, Chadha tells us, “An Audience Award means people from all over the world watched and loved this story. This kind of recognition prolongs the journey of an indie film.”

Chadha and Ali, who tied the knot in 2022, announced their joint production banner in 2021. This international honour, Chadha feels, is a sign that the venture is headed in the right direction. “We both definitely have good taste. So, we will produce more together. Some projects will be led by Ali, some by me,” says the Fukrey actor.

The film, directed by Shuchi Talati, is a coming-of-age drama about a 16-year-old girl and her complex relationship with her mother. At the recent awards ceremony, it secured top honours in the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Entry category and the Special Jury Award for lead actor Preeti Panigrahi.

“Even if subversive, it is a gentle film, and we didn’t really have to push the envelope here,” shares the 37-year-old, adding that together with Ali, she is excited to “tell new and unique stories”.

With global recognition constantly pouring in, Girls Will Be Girls has joined the ranks of Indian projects such as The Elephant Whisperers, All That Breaths, RRR and Delhi Crime — all of which have struck a chord with audiences worldwide and received awards and acknowledgement at prestigious film festivals. Chadha feels this ever-growing list signals that the world is waking up to Indian content like never before.

She says, “Indian stories aren’t just one type of formulaic thing but are narratives that can travel across borders and earn global accolades.”

On what her future course of action would be as an actor-producer, Chadha says, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I have always danced to my own tune.”