Richa Chadha reveals she was offered another role in Heeramandi before she chose to play Lajjo

Reveling in the amazingly glorious reviews for Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,especially for her character Lajjo, Richa Chadha has revealed that she had been offered a different role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's web series earlier. Despite being initially offered a bigger role, Richa deliberately chose the character of Lajjo, recognising its potential to make a profound impact. Richa knew that Lajjo had the most heartbreaking arc, and hence, would definitely leave an impact.

Social media has been abuzz about her role with some audiencedescribing her perfromance as the best. One user on X said, “Richa Chadha shines the most”, another one said, “Richa Chadha is just phenomenal”, while a third wrote, “The only actor that captivates the screen is Richa”.

Reflecting on her decision, Richa shares, "When I was approached for Heeramandi,at the time Sanjay sir was the showrunner and i had been offered another part, one with more screentime for sure. But because an actor also needs to see, what's in here that's new for me, I chose Lajjo. I have experimented with characters that have a grey shade, like Bholi Punjaban or Tara in Madam Chief Minister. Basically I get accused of playing only empowerd characters, so I felt the need to break that stereotype and surprise the audience.I wanted to play a part of a hopeless romantic and leave the audience with gooseflesh. That's exactly what's happening. People are calling me in tears."

"Hence when Sir told me, come and check this character out, I was immediately drawn to Lajjo. I was certain this would pay off and it has, the love within 24 hours has been overwhelming. Right from industry peers to filmmakers, to friends and audiences have sent me such amazing love, I couldn’t be more grateful," the actress added.

Netizens say Richa Chadha's character in Heeramandi is an ode to Devdas

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Richa's portrayal of Lajjo in Heeramandi showcases her versatility and has earned praise from all quarters. Additionally, the character's Kathak dance sequence in the show holds special significance for Richa, who is a trained Kathak dancer herself.

"I've always harbored a desire to incorporate Kathak dance into my onscreen roles, and 'Heeramandi' provided the perfect opportunity to do so," Richa adds. "As a trained Kathak dancer, bringing Lajjo's dance number to life was a fulfilling experience for me, adding another layer of authenticity to the character."

WION's review of Heeramandi

In her review of the show, Shomini Sen of Wion stated that Richa Chadha created an impact despite limited screen time. "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaaris still an engaging watch. It has good music (by Bhansali himself), great visuals and compelling performances by most of its actors. It requires your patience as Bhansali takes time to unravel each of the characters and their individual stories but creates a stunning world that is hard to overlook," Sen further wrote. Read the full review of Heeramandi here

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is streaming on Netflix.

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