Richa Chadha and Kabir Khan get candid about films, politics and more at the eighth edition of Expresso. Watch

As the session progressed, Richa Chadha took a trip down memory lane and opened up about her experience working with actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, whose political views she does not share. Maintaining that they didn’t have many personal interactions on set, Richa stated that they don’t even have a sense of camaraderie between them, which, she opined, was natural. They shared the screen in the sports drama Panga.

“I didn’t discuss anything with her or be friends with her. But I think it’s okay. We don’t have to become friends with everyone we work with. You should be able to work with everyone,” she said. Mentioning that the situation would be different for filmmakers, probably since they have to communicate with everyone, particularly actors, constantly, Richa said that wasn’t the case among performers.

Kabir Khan, on the other hand, pointed out that he has never consciously limited his collaborations to those who share his viewpoints. However, he observed that if someone agrees to work on a project with political themes, such as his films, it indicates that they are likely aligned in their views. “When you narrate a story that has a particular political viewpoint to your actors and if they sign up for the project, I think that means they are already on the same page. If they had a different point of view, they might not have liked the story and would have said no. I’ve collaborated mostly with people who have identified with what I’m trying to say in my films and have never had to convince someone beyond a point in that regard,” he stated.

Richa Chadha opened up about her experience working with actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut. (Express Photo/Amit Chakravarthy)

Talking about his movies, Kabir Khan maintained that they always reflect himself. (Express Photo/Amit Chakravarthy)

Richa Chadha also commented on certain claims that ‘meninists’ often make to degrade women, that if not for men, activities that involve much physical labour, such as lifting and construction work, wouldn’t happen in the world. The actor pointed to the situation in rural areas where women are forced to walk kilometres to fetch water and return carrying multiple full pots to dismiss such hollow claims that women can’t carry out intense physical labour.

Expresso with filmmaker Kabir Khan and actor Richa Chadha.

The Expresso session is now streaming on The Indian Express and SCREEN’s YouTube channels. The eighth edition of Expresso was presented by HSBC in association with Taj Lands End, Mumbai, Seetu Kohli Homes as the Luxury Partner, Chambers of Kartik Seth as the Knowledge Partner, and Radico as the Celebration Partner.