Recently, filmmaker Hansal Mehta said at an event that filmmakers in the Hindi film industry need to take risks and cast new faces. Ask actor Richa Chadha if things are more challenging for newcomers today, and she says, “When I started out, it was difficult. But today, youngsters have social media, so there’s an added benefit. In 2012-13, social media wasn’t as prevalent.”

Richa, who turned producer last year with Girls Will Be Girls, adds, “We should give more chances to newcomers, but sadly, even established filmmakers in Bollywood tend to stereotype actors. Somewhere, the math of the business doesn’t allow us to take chances. And it’s not only limited to the actors, but also filmmakers.”

Lately, many filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap and Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, have also spoken about the need for Bollywood to reinvent. Mention this to Richa and she shares, “When a big film with a big star flops, everyone wants to become safer. They want to have an item song and a certain number of action sequences. But over time, you realise that innovation is the heart of any industry. The film industries in the South have managed to crack how their films work. We can learn from them.”

The 38-year-old adds, “They make movies for their own fans and ensure that the ticket prices are low. Yahan par sab ulta hai. When a film is big and there’s anticipation, people increase the ticket prices.”