Richa Chadha returns to work after a two year long maternity break, talks about motherhood, recovery and more

Richa Chaddha with Zuni

Actress Richa Chadha, who welcomed daughter Zuni, is back to work after a gap of two years. And the Heeramandi actress shared a powerful and deeply personal note on her social media.

She opened up about the emotional, physical and professional challenges she has faced since becoming a mother, and her journey back to work after almost two years.

Her candid post talks about vulnerability as a mom and she also addressed both motherhood and the realities of the entertainment industry with brutal honesty.

In the note, Richa spoke about the difficulty of returning to work, acknowledging that although she wanted to be back sooner, her body and mind simply weren’t ready.

She wrote about the slow, complex mental recovery that followed childbirth, and the disorienting experience of losing touch with the person she was before becoming a mother. She also touched upon the support system required to help a new mother rediscover herself.

Richa further addressed the painful professional experiences she endured during this vulnerable period and called out betrayal and lack of ethics in the film industry.

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A post shared by Richa Chadha (@therichachadha)

Richa also questioned the commodification of vulnerability and the way personal struggles are often reshaped into marketable narratives.

She expressed a longing for a simpler digital era, when sharing did not demand performance or branding.

Sharing pics of her daughter Zuni, her family and staff, the people who work closely with her, she wrote: “On Sunday, I went back to work after nearly 2 years. As much as I would have liked to get back sooner, my body, my mind wasn’t ready at all. But other than these tangible issues, I have had to deal with deep professional betrayals from close quarters.

I have learnt that in the industry, a rare few have ethics and courage. Most people operate from such deep-seated inferiority complexes and scarcity mentality, that they never mean what they say. They’re never happy, like dementors - they suck all joy out of life.

Those that have displayed cruelty towards me during my most vulnerable phase perhaps never received adequate love in their own lives. I forgive, but I NEVER forget. Please bear this in mind should you cross my path. You know who you are.

Are you scared ?

Good.

If it takes a village to raise a child. It takes amazing support to help the mom 😭 cuz Mommy doesn’t remember who she was before the baby was born. The mental recovery from it took longer than I hoped.

Everyone tells you to post more, create more ‘content’ but I am not employed by SM. I have a life. And I have been so afraid to share the littlest snippet from it, lest I receive podcast invites to “talk about it”, with cameras rolling zooming in to every tear.

I miss the days when IG used to be a place where you uploaded photos of what you ate and other mundane things.

This end stage necro-capitalism ensures that whenever someone talks about a topic, that’s it! That’s the niche that needs to be marketed to! Why can’t you discuss an eating disorder without selling a diet ? Why can’t you discuss post-partum depression without becoming the poster-child for it ? Why can’t you be a body positivity enthusiast without sharing a close up of your stretch marks. We must pause to ask ourselves what the point of sharing things is. Is sharing important so that others don’t feel alone? Or is it important so you can get rich.

I am already RICHa. Hehe.

जो दिखता है वो बिकता है। पर मैं बिकाऊ नहीं हूँ।”**

Richa was last seen on screen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi. Richa Chaddha is married to actor Ali Fazal.