In her rather short career, Richa Chadda has already worked with names like Anurag Kashyap, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Dibakar Banerjee.

Turns out that the Delhi-born actress takes criticism more seriously than acclaim. Playing a negative character for the first time in her next, Richa jovially complains about not getting enough time to update her blog. In a freewheeling conversation with CS, the 28-year-old spills the beans on why she's still single and life in Bollywood:


The time factor
Though I come from a theatre background, I haven't been able to practise it for a long while now. The truth is I can't cheat somebody and say that I'll be there for rehearsals when I cannot find the time to do so.

As of now, I'm busy with films but someday when I'll be able to dictate terms to people, I'll be going back to the stage because it deserves that much time and dedication.

This is not fair
There's a considerable amount of prejudice against darker skinned actresses. What this sort of mentality tells you is that you aren't good enough when it clearly isn't your fault. And it's not really limited to the industry alone.


It's more like a national issue. People are simply infatuated with fair skin. In my view, what one should aim for is good healthy skin. Whenever I'm in Europe or America, I get appreciated for my duskier shade.

Single, so what?
What kind of guy will deal with someone who says `I'm in a city named ABC` today followed by `I'm in a city named XYZ` tomorrow. No wonder I'm single! Fortunately, getting married and settling down doesn't obstruct your career as an actress anymore. Look at Karisma Kapoor and Kajol. They are still around and bagging more endorsements than they ever did before (smiles).


No time for napping
Thanks to my job, I get to visit a lot of places and I enjoy travelling too. What I hate is the fact that I don't get to sleep as much as I would love to. In fact, since the start of June, I've slept for three hours on an average everyday which is not only unhealthy but also irritating.

And then people come up to me during promotions and say `You look tired` and I so want to slap them and say `Yes I am!` (laughs).