Richa Chadha Biography: Age, Husband Ali Fazal, Movies, Heeramandi & Latest News

Richa Chadha (born 18 December 1986) is an Indian actress and producer known for bold, offbeat roles in Hindi cinema. She made her debut in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) and became famous as the fierce Nagma Khatoon in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), which won her a Filmfare Critics Award. She is also loved as Bholi Punjaban in the Fukrey films and acclaimed for Masaan, Section 375 and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. With her husband, actor Ali Fazal, she runs Pushing Buttons Studios, which produced the award-winning Girls Will Be Girls (2024).

Richa Chadha Latest News (October 2026)

• Musafiri (October 2026): Richa hosts the travel-history show Musafiri. In the episode released on 21 October 2026 she walks through South Mumbai to explain how the city became India’s financial capital. She is also credited with the show’s writing and research.
• First romantic film with Ali Fazal: In July 2026 it was reported that Richa and Ali Fazal will play a romantic couple on screen for the first time, in an untitled Delhi-set comedy directed by Shashie Vermaa. Shooting is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
• Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai: She is part of Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film, playing Sanjana Krishna. No release date has been announced.

Richa Chadha Profile, Age and Wiki

Richa Chadha Early Life, Family and Education

Richa was born in Amritsar, Punjab, and grew up in Delhi. Her father, Somesh Chadha, is Punjabi and runs a management firm, and her mother, Kusum Lata Chadha, is from Bihar and taught political science at PGDAV College, Delhi University. She studied at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and then at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

After college she moved to Mumbai and worked as a model. She also did theatre, including touring productions with the well-known acting teacher Barry John, before getting her first film role.

Richa Chadha Career

Debut and Gangs of Wasseypur (2008–2012)

Richa made her debut as Dolly in Dibakar Banerjee’s comedy Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008). After a few small roles, including Benny and Babloo (2010), Anurag Kashyap cast her as Nagma Khatoon, the tough, foul-mouthed mother in his two-part crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). Though she was only in her mid-twenties, she played a character who ages into middle life, and the performance won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Fukrey and Ram-Leela (2013–2014)

In 2013 she played the loud, scary Delhi don Bholi Punjaban in the comedy Fukrey, a role that became hugely popular and that she repeated in Fukrey Returns (2017) and Fukrey 3 (2023). The same year she played Rasila in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.

Masaan and Acclaimed Roles (2015–2020)

Richa played the lead role of Devi Pathak in Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan (2015), a quiet drama set in Varanasi that won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival. She won the Stardust Editor’s Choice Performer of the Year award for the film. She then starred in Amazon Prime Video’s cricket drama Inside Edge (2017–2021) as Zarina Malik, the courtroom drama Section 375 (2019) as public prosecutor Hiral Gandhi, Love Sonia (2018), and the sports drama Panga (2020) with Kangana Ranaut. In 2020 she played the title role in Shakeela, a biopic of the South Indian actress.

Heeramandi and Producing (2021–2026)

Richa starred in Madam Chief Minister (2021) and in 2021 co-founded Pushing Buttons Studios with Ali Fazal. Their first production, Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls (2024), a coming-of-age story set in a Himalayan boarding school, won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic section at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2024 she played Lajjo, a heartbroken courtesan, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, alongside Sonakshi Sinha and Aditi Rao Hydari. In 2026 she is hosting the show Musafiri and preparing for new films.

Richa Chadha Movies List (Selected)

Awards and Honours

• Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Gangs of Wasseypur.
• Stardust Editor’s Choice Performer of the Year for Masaan (2015).
• Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) from the French government (2023).
• Woman of Substance, I Am Woman Awards (2024).
• As producer, Girls Will Be Girls won the Sundance Audience Award (World Cinema Dramatic) in 2024.

Richa Chadha Personal Life

Richa met actor Ali Fazal on the set of Fukrey (2013), where they played different storylines. They became friends, started dating, and announced their relationship publicly in 2019. After pandemic delays, they held their wedding celebrations in Delhi and Lucknow, with the main ceremony on 4 October 2022 in Lucknow.

Their daughter was born on 16 July 2024. Richa is outspoken on social media about social and political issues, and often writes about women’s rights, the film industry and motherhood. She is also a keen traveller and history enthusiast, which led to her hosting Musafiri.

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal

Richa and Ali are one of Bollywood’s most popular couples and were named Most-Loved Couple at the Bollywood Hungama awards in 2023. Together they founded Pushing Buttons Studios to back new voices, and their first production won at Sundance. Although they appeared together in the Fukrey films, their 2026 comedy with Shashie Vermaa will be the first time they play a couple on screen.

Why Richa Chadha Stands Out

Richa has never chased a typical heroine image. She played a middle-aged mother in Gangs of Wasseypur early in her career, a comic gangster in Fukrey and a grieving young woman in Masaan, and still found mainstream fame. As a producer she has helped take an independent Indian film to Sundance success, and she now also writes and hosts her own show.

Lesser-Known Facts About Richa Chadha

• She studied at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, one of India’s best-known colleges.
• She trained in theatre with Barry John’s group.
• She was in her twenties when she played the mother of grown men in Gangs of Wasseypur.
• She met her husband Ali Fazal on the set of Fukrey.
• She received France’s Order of Arts and Letters in 2023.

Related Biographies

• Kangana Ranaut Biography – co-star in Panga
• Sonakshi Sinha Biography – co-star in Heeramandi
• Aditi Rao Hydari Biography – co-star in Heeramandi
• Nushrratt Bharuccha Biography
• Soha Ali Khan Biography
• More stars: Bollywood biographies

Richa Chadha FAQs

How old is Richa Chadha?

Richa Chadha was born on 18 December 1986, so she is 39 years old as of 2026.

Who is Richa Chadha’s husband?

Richa Chadha is married to actor Ali Fazal. Their wedding ceremony took place in Lucknow on 4 October 2022.

Does Richa Chadha have a child?

Yes. Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal welcomed a daughter on 16 July 2024.

Who played Bholi Punjaban in Fukrey?

Richa Chadha played Bholi Punjaban in Fukrey (2013), Fukrey Returns (2017) and Fukrey 3 (2023).

What was Richa Chadha’s role in Heeramandi?

She played Lajjo, a courtesan, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024).

What was Richa Chadha’s first movie?

Her first film was Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), directed by Dibakar Banerjee.

Which film did Richa Chadha produce?

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal produced Girls Will Be Girls (2024) through their company, Pushing Buttons Studios. It won an Audience Award at Sundance.

Where is Richa Chadha from?

Richa Chadha was born in Amritsar, Punjab, and grew up in Delhi.

What is Musafiri?

Musafiri is a travel and history show hosted by Richa Chadha, who also writes and researches it.

Who did Richa Chadha play in Gangs of Wasseypur?

She played Nagma Khatoon, the wife of Sardar Khan, in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Sources

• Richa Chadha – Wikipedia
• Musafiri: Richa Chadha explores Mumbai – Filmibeat
• Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha’s first film as a couple – Eastern Eye