Happy Birthday Richa Chadha: From Nagma Khatoon to Bholi Punjaban, 5 memorable on-screen characters played by the versatile diva

(Pic courtesy: Twitter)

Bold, beautiful, fierce and outspoken, these are the words that perfectly sum up Richa Chadha's personality. The actor who is celebrating her 36^th birthday today, Richa has proved her mettle in Bollywood with her acting skills and over the years has successfully showcased her versatility with her unconventional film choices. From stepping in the film industry with a small role in ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' to taking the silver screen by storm with her scintillating performance in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur', Richa has come a long way. An impeccable performer and one of the most talented female actors in Bollywood, Richa Chadha's journey from being an outsider to a successful actor in the film industry proves that she is unstoppable. On the occasion of Richa Chadha's birthday, today we bring you some of the outstanding performances given by the ‘Masaan' star that made her a gem of an actor.

Gangs of Wasseypur

Richa Chadha caught everybody's attention when she appeared in Anurag Kashyap's two-part crime thriller, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur'. Her portrayal of the feisty Nagma Khatoon in the part 1 was highly praised by the critics and the audience equally. The noir gangster saga which starred stalwarts like Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi and Piyush Mishra among others in pivotal roles, among all, Richa emerged as the strongest female character of the movie. Richa was only 24 when she played a mother to Nawazuddin in ‘GOW-II', despite being so young; her ability to pull-off the character of an old woman with such ease was widely appreciated. Till now, Nagma Khatoon is hailed as Richa Chadha's one of the finest works for a reason!

Fukrey

The 2013 blockbuster comedy drama which starred Ali Fazal, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma and Navjot Singh in pivotal roles along with Richa Chadha, is an edgy laugh-riot which is still enjoyed by the audience. Richa who plays a baddie in the movie called Bholi Punjaban has done an outstanding job as an antagonist. She literally overshadows the boys whenever she comes on the screen. Richa as Delhiwali badass gangster steals the limelight with her villainous antics. She as Bholi Punjaban is a visual treat who will keep you hooked till the end. After playing Bholi Punjaban in first and second installment of the Ali Fazal and Pulkit Samrat-starrer comedy drama, Richa is now all set to reprise her iconic role in ‘Fukrey 3'.

Masaan

The movie which marked the debut of Vicky Kaushal as a lead featured Richa Chadha as Devi Pathak in the 2015 hit drama. Apart from Richa, the movie also starred Shweta Tripathi, Pankaj Tripathi and Sanjay Mishra in pivotal roles. The movie which navigates subjects like premarital sex and rooted casteism is so far one of the best movies of Richa Chadha. Richa's portrayal of a small town girl from Varanasi in this Neeraj Ghaywan directorial, looks convincing in every frame. Richa as Devi strikes the right chord and impresses the viewers with her nuanced yet strong character. Reportedly, the movie proved to be a milestone in Richa Chadha's acting career.

Sarbjit

The biographical drama which is based on the true story of Sarbjit Singh Atwal is directed by Omung Kumar and stars Randeep Hooda in the titular role along with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Richa Chadha. Based on a true story, the movie revolves around the life of Sarbjit (Randeep) who accidently crosses the Indo-Pak border and reaches Pakistan in a drunken state and ends up getting arrested by the Pakistan Army. While the movie mostly focuses on the character of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who plays Dalbir Kaur - Sarbjit's sister, Richa Chadha as a subdued wife manages to leave a strong impact on viewer's mind. For the impeccable portrayal of Dalbir on the silver screen, Richa was honoured with a Filmfare award.

Section 375

Starring Richa Chadha and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles, ‘Section 375' is an intense courtroom drama that keeps one engaged. Directed by Ajay Bahl, ‘Section 375' focuses on the sensitive issue of rape and also throws light on factors like consent, will and permission when it comes to sex. The story is about a director called Rohan Khurana (Rahul Bhat) who is accused of raping a costume designer named Anjali (Meera Chopra). While Rahul goes behind the bars after being sentenced for ten years by the Sessions court, the case gets re-opened in the High Court where Hiral Gandhi (Richa Chadha) and high-profile lawyer Tarun Saluja (Akshaye Khanna) lock horns while fighting over the rape case. Richa as Hiral is prolific and she owns the screen with her powerful acting and outshines other actors at times. A natural performer, Richa doesn't disappoint at all in her lawyer avatar.