Playing Bholi Punjaban was a big deal for me: Richa Chadha

Mumbai: Playing the role of feisty gangster Bholi Punjaban in "Fukrey" was a big deal, says Richa Chadha, who not only got to create a beloved character but also met her future husband, Ali Fazal, during its making.

The buddy comedy, which completes a decade this month, chronicled the story of four friends, Hunny (Pulkit Samrat), Choocha (Varun Sharma), Laali (Manjot Singh) and Zafar (Ali Fazal), whose plan to make easy money falls flat when they meet Bholi Punjaban.

"It's fascinating that a character like this has been written for a woman. I am very fortunate... When I got the film, I was zapped. It was a big deal for me because I had not done a so-called commercial (film)," Chadha told PTI in an interview.

"This character in some ways is so overarching that it often eclipses my real-life persona. It is so iconic, strong and different. It was not easy for me to slip into this. Bholi is a narcissist. When kids or women respond to this character, it is very rewarding,” she added.

Directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, the film and its 2017 sequel "Fukrey Returns" was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment. The third film in the series will release on December 1.

The 36-year-old actor had earned critical appreciation for her performance in "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and "Gangs of Wasseypur" before boarding this project.

"'Gangs of Wasseypur’ is a different world. From there to walking into an office and seeing posters of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Lakshya’, I felt very nice,” Chadha said recalling her visit to the Excel Entertainment office.

She said the writers deserve praise for giving the actors "such well-crafted characters".

"The victory of ‘Fukrey’ is in the writing. These guys (writers) made a world, and every character is so well-defined," she said.

Having worked on three installments of “Fukrey” franchise, Chadha said her co-actors have become like a family.

"I have loved every moment of working on this film, this production house and with this team. It doesn't feel like a set of co-actors, it feels like family. We are not awkward around each other. There's no filter and we have bonded well. This is the closest I have been to any set of actors,” she said.

Chadha, who married “Fukrey” co-star Ali Fazal last year, said the film introduced her to the love of her life.

“Meri toh shaadi ho gayi (I got married). That was the starting point. We got to hang out and get to know each other on sets. But the credit should go to my co-stars.

"Like Manjot was juvenile, Varun was very focused, Pulkit only talked about fitness, so it was only Ali, who was left to talk to,” she joked.

Fazal said he is grateful to have had the opportunity to play one of the lead roles in the movie, which changed his life completely.

"(It was) the first time I was a part of a film that gave us this canvas. Being part of a film, in a lead character for all of us, this is how it feels. The characters have become memorable, and that is one of the reasons why we are celebrating ten years of the film. Otherwise, we would have posted something (on social media). It has changed our lives,” he said.

The "Fukrey" franchise also features Pankaj Tripathi, Priya Anand and Vishakha Singh.