Was Richa Chadda’s role chopped in Sarbjit

Critics may be in two minds about the merits of Omung Kumar’s Sarbjit, however Richa Chadda’s performance in the film has got praises from all corners. Many are of the opinion that her role as Sarbjit’s silently suffering wife was too short and that she should have been given more screen time. Now we hear that she did have more screen time than what was shown in the final cut of the film.

A source in the know says that Richa’s role was rigorously revised on the editing table. “A lot of what Richa shot was edited out, leaving her with just one major scene. This was in keeping with the decision to concentrate the storytelling on Sarbjit’s sister Dalbir, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,” says the source.

When contacted director Omung Kumar denied it. He said, “Richa’s role was not reduced at all. It remained as it was narrated to her. The only changes that were made were to ensure a tighter structure. Otherwise, the film has shaped up exactly the way I had briefed Richa. The dialogues that she has are the only ones that were there from the start.”