Her dad threw money at her to stop her from doing films
Coming from a Punjabi family without any connections
in Bollywood, Ridhima took her family by surprise when
she told them that she wanted to do films. "When I told
my parents that I wanted to act, they thought I was joking. My dad was like, 'You want to go to Europe for summers or buy an expensive bag or anything else?' He was
literally throwing money at me to stop me. He was like,
'such an amazing life you have beta, why do you want to
struggle and ghisso your chappals in Bollywood.' But at
the back of their minds, they knew it was in my genes.
My parents are self-made and come from a humble
background, so they knew if I had made up my mind,
nothing can stop me," she says.How did Dil Dhadakne
Do happen to you and what attracted you to Noorie's
character?
I was called to audition for the part. I didn't know much
about the character when I read for it but what eventually
attracted me to Noorie was that she was not a cinematic
cliche in any way. In contemporary Indian cinema, often
if a girl drinks and parties she's implied as having "loose
morals" or when she's rich and pretty she's also bratty
or when she's sweet and vulnerable she's neither of the
above. I liked how Noorie was very real - she loves life,
does what she wants without being obnoxiously bratty,
and is vulnerable and naive without being dumb. I just
really liked her.
How different from or like Noorie are you in person?
As a girl, I can relate to Noorie in the sense I know what
heartbreak feels like and what the excitement of new
love feels like. She does what she wants which is also
relatable. Noorie is super stylish and into the latest fashion trends and I am not. I have a personal style that's
slightly edgier but it's more an extension of my creative
self. I'm not a fashionista and don't want to be one in the
traditional sense of the word. I am less frills and fancy
I think, for eg, I would eat rajma chawal with my bare
hands on any given Sunday and I don't see Noorie doing that! Haha. I relate to her a decent amount but I'm
not Noorie.
What were the challenges of appearing in an ensemble
cast that pitted you against the likes of Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra? Were you afraid of
getting lost?
You know, everyone asks me this. And it honestly did
not cross my mind even for a second! I was so excited
to be working with such strong actors and could only
see the positive in the situation. Plus the script was very
favourable to Noorie. Even when she's not on screen
she's being talked about. I was too grateful to let any
fear creep in.
What are your best memories from filming Dil Dhadakne
Do? And your favourite moment?
There are so many great memories! We docked in a
new city every other day. Every day was exciting.
Who was the maddest Mehra on set?
It's a tie. They're all mad in the nicest most fun sense of
the word.
C OVER STORY
Before and after Dil Dhadakne Do - how have you
changed?
Hmmm. I don't know. I'm happier as an actor because
I feel validated on some level that I've already worked
with one of my favourite directors and people seem to
have liked what I did. I don't think I've changed as a person but I've learned a lot and acquired some new skills.
You transitioned from a career on Wall Street to one in
showbiz. How hard was it to make the change?
I don't know how it became such a big deal but it's not
like I was managing and investing millions. It wasn't exactly a career. I got myself a job and did it for a few
months just to prove to my parents that I am capable of
being financially independent and taking care of myself
so they wouldn't be too worried when I told them that I
wanted to act. But it was also to confirm for myself that
it's definitely not something I want. I studied economics
and politics and for the sake of my education which I
value immensely, I at least wanted to see the theory of
it all applied in practice. Which I did. But I couldn't see
myself staying motivated enough to be the best in that
field. My heart was elsewhere.
What lessons from corporate life would you or have you
apply/applied to Bollywood?
Diversify your portfolio. Hedge your bets but don't be risk
averse.
You've spoken about your family being taken aback by
your career switch - tell us more?
Haha! It's not quite as dramatic. They were just surprised
and my dad was trying to show me the benefits of the
secure world that they had built for me to keep me away
from entering a field like acting, where success rates are
low and barriers to entry are high. They have worked
hard to give me a blessed life and just didn't want to see
me sign up for the kind of struggle that they had seen.
But I was convinced that I had to chase a grander ideal
and not money to be happy in the long run. It was always
the arts for me. They knew all they could do is wish me
luck. I've been on my own financially and otherwise in
Mumbai. TV commercials helped with visibility and the
bills. But films are the end goal. Although with 24, TV
has become very exciting.
My Nani was actually the most mortified. She was worried I'll never get married!
Are you here to stay? What's next?
I should hope so. This is where I am the happiest and
feel truly fulfilled. I think that I'm in the healing business.
When you help tell stories and depict the truth of the human existence you heal people. Seeing that we are all
in the human