Richa Chadha says body-shaming trolls deserve to be ignored

Richa Chadha has had enough of strangers policing women’s bodies. In an exclusive chat with India Today, the actor said anonymous commenters who target new mothers over their postpartum appearance should simply be ignored.

The remarks arrive as actors such as Katrina Kaif face before-and-after comparisons after childbirth, with social media users debating whether they have “bounced back.” Chadha pointed out that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bipasha Basu and Patralekhaa have all faced similar scrutiny.

The industry is not the problem

Chadha drew a sharp line between the film industry and the internet’s anonymous critics. “Industry is very respectful of women who have babies and who have careers,” she said, listing Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Rani Mukerji and Sonali Bendre as examples.

The real problem, she argued, is ordinary users emboldened by anonymity. Chadha said they are “losers” who deserve far less space in media discourse. Her advice to women: refuse to give such remarks weight.

She put it plainly: “It’s up to you, what pressure you take.” Whether a woman chooses the gym, medication, or her own timeline, she said, “It’s your journey with your body.”

Motherhood and Musafiri

Chadha, who welcomed daughter Zuneyra Ida Fazal in July 2024, also reflected on how motherhood changed her creative lens. She said she is more aware of the lack of wholesome children’s content and wants to create PG-13 material that does not rely on screens.

Her latest series, Musafiri, grew from that documentary-style itch. She explained that acting does not always scratch the “nerdy” creative impulse, so documentary allowed her to explore history and places on her own terms. The current Bombay episodes are just the pilot.

• Musafiri began as a book idea before becoming shorter web episodes.
• Chadha wants to take the series beyond Bombay and used the pilot to lower risk for producers.
• Ali Fazal is not joining as a co-creator; she calls Musafiri “my brainchild.”

She also acknowledged her husband’s Mirzapur 2 success with a laugh, calling him “a 200 crore ka hero” and the first person she turns to for feedback.

The larger takeaway for fans is simple: celebrity bodies are not a public forum, and Chadha is asking audiences to stop feeding the troll cycle.

Source: India Today