Actress Richa Chadha has spoken candidly about the emotional, physical and professional challenges she faced while returning to work nearly two years after embracing motherhood, revealing experiences of deep betrayal during one of the most vulnerable phases of her life.
In a heartfelt social media post, the Fukrey star shared that although she had hoped to resume work sooner, her body and mind were not ready. Beyond the personal recovery, she said she was confronted with difficult professional realities.
“On Sunday, I went back to work after nearly two 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,” she wrote.
Reflecting on those experiences, Richa criticised the lack of ethics within the industry, describing a culture driven by insecurity and scarcity.
“I have learnt that in the industry, a rare few have ethics and courage. Most people operate from such deep-seated inferiority complexes and a scarcity mentality. They never mean what they say. They’re never happy… those who displayed unwarranted, one-sided cruelty towards me during my most vulnerable phase perhaps never received adequate love in their own lives,” she added.
The actress also highlighted the importance of a strong support system for new mothers navigating identity and mental recovery after childbirth.
“If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes amazing support to help the mom… because mommy doesn’t remember who she was before the baby was born. The mental recovery took longer than I hoped,” she shared.
Richa went on to criticise the pressure placed on public figures, particularly new mothers, to constantly produce “content” on social media, questioning the commodification of vulnerability and the way personal struggles are often repackaged for public consumption.
Concluding her post, the Heeramandi actress expressed a longing for a simpler time, when sharing personal experiences did not require branding or performance, but could exist with honesty and privacy.
