My Story: From A-List Actress To Olin MBA

FAME CAME FASTER THAN ANYONE EXPECTED

Then, I got my very first audition call for a lead role in a big-budget movie. This movie was going to launch the grandson of a very large movie mogul and was being directed by one of the most well-known, critically acclaimed directors in India. What happened was, the director saw one of my photo shoot pictures and told the assistant director to track me down and audition me because I fit the mold for the character he had. It was a huge opportunity, but I actually just did the audition for kicks. I didn’t take it seriously at all. I figured I was going to take it as a practice run. Next thing you know, I get a call from the assistant director who tells me the director had chosen me from among 800 other girls who’d auditioned for the role across the country. I discussed it with my parents — who were completely in shock! Within a week of accepting the role, I started shooting.

It turned out to be a huge international box-office hit. The movie was called Leader. It was a political drama and I played the role of a news reporter who was also the love interest of the protagonist. We filmed it in 2009 and it was released in 2010. It opened in 80 theaters across the U.S. and UK. Incidentally, it was the first and only audition that I had to do in my five-year film career. That film is what catapulted me into a full-fledged career. There was no turning back then.

I was famous overnight. One thing I was always very sure of was staying grounded. I was the same Richa that I was when I was back as a college student at Michigan State, maybe just more worldly-wise and mature. I became an internationally recognized star with a few thousand Twitter followers. The media interviews just came pouring in. I found myself leading a very, very hectic life from then on. There’s a lot of glamour, glitz, and money (of course), but being an actress was very, very intense. There was a lot of hard work. You were “on,” quote-unquote, 24-7.

17-HOUR DAYS, SCRIPT OVERHAULS, RISKY DANCE SEQUENCES

I used to have 17-hour workdays. It was incredibly demanding. There were actually times when I would find myself shooting four films simultaneously and that was in addition to doing celebrity appearances, modeling for ramp shows, and traveling internationally for shoots. That was a whirlwind, in and of itself.

The song-and-dance sequences are something that is very unique about Indian film. For each film, there would be four or five songs, with at least three being peppy dance sequences. I would have to learn the dance choreography on the spot, in sometimes extreme locales including the edge of a cliff, on a jet ski, in old castles or rural villages. All of these had six to 10 costume changes per song. I guess it would be very similar to what you’d see in a Broadway musical.

For me, the easy part was emoting in different languages. But the harder part was having to learn new dialogue after having spent hours memorizing pages and pages of dialogue. Sometimes, my directors would just decide to cut everything out last-minute and then say, “You have 10 minutes to learn these new lines” — in a different language that I didn’t know. It was high pressure all the time. Then you have a production team of over 100 people just waiting on you. You don’t want to let anyone down, especially when you are the newbie; you are just starting to establish yourself and gain momentum. The early days were definitely demanding.

GAINING MBA-LEVEL SKILLS FROM MANAGING HER CAREER

Another thing that people don’t realize is that, as actors, we’re always managing multiple aspects of the commercial business. There is a tremendous amount of multitasking and time management involved. You’re always thinking on your feet. You’re constantly working against deadlines. We would finish up a film within four to six months from start to finish. Then, of course, comes the promotion. Before and after the film releases, I was the face of marketing. So I would have to constantly give pre- and post-release interviews. That’s what would really pitch the movies for better business at the box office. That was a huge responsibility that I think that I delivered well on. I would also use social media regularly to engage the fans.

While I was on the shoot, I was constantly thinking about how to leverage new business opportunities for my next film, reviewing scripts and negotiating contracts. One thing I needed to keep a keen eye on was not being take advantage of. These are all of the things that we are actually learning in business school. For me, in retrospect, it has been about learning by doing and validating it with an MBA degree.

Looking back, the good of the industry would be traveling, meeting cool people, (of course) the pay, and experiencing new cultures. I got to see the most amazing parts of the world that I would never have got the chance to see otherwise. These included places like Jordan, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, and Bangkok, all courtesy of these very dreamy dance sequences. I also actively made friends wherever I went and I keep in touch with many of them now — including many of my background dancers for those dance sequences. That was a great networking opportunity.

FEET FIRMLY PLANTED IN TWO DIFFERENT CULTURES

I have to admit that I really discovered India after I actually lived there as an actress. I have to thank one of the directors in Bollywood for telling me, right before I went to India, that to be an effective actress you have to completely immerse yourself in the culture to be able to reflect it authentically in the characters that you play. I think that those subtle nuances showed in the characters that I played.

Coming to the media, I don’t think that I realized it initially, many of the media interviews were intrigued by this distinct American-ness that I manifested. For example, I was always fiercely independent. Unlike many of the Indian actresses, whose moms always accompanied them onto the set and managed their affairs, I was in India on my own and did everything by myself, which was extremely unheard of for most female actresses out there.

My parents were always a call or email away for advice. For my day-to-day affairs, I was a strong and confident American woman who was defying the norms. Coming to speak in two different accents, I speak three different languages fluently and am conversationally fluent in two others that I learned during my time as an actress. It was hilarious sometimes having one foot firmly in each culture, and I had to switch my accent for Indian audiences to neutralize it so they would be more comfortable listening to me, and then I would have to change back to my American accent for my friends back home. It was all completely intentional. Learning languages for me was like learning music. I treat languages like I was able to learn pages of concertos as a kid in orchestra.