Motherhood is often celebrated as one of the most transformative experiences in a woman’s life, but the reality of pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood can also bring physical and emotional challenges. Richa Chadha recently opened up about her own difficult postpartum experience, revealing that there was a point when she even considered taking medication.
In an interview with All About Eve, the actor spoke about the emotional changes she experienced after childbirth and explained how that period eventually inspired the idea behind Musafiri, a show she has written and produced.
Richa Chadha Reveals She Considered Medication During Postpartum Period
Richa Chadha described her postpartum phase as particularly difficult and said she struggled with changes in her sense of identity after becoming a mother.
“Honestly, I had a really tough postpartum time. I was even considering taking medication,” she said during the interview.
The actor explained that she eventually decided against taking the medication after looking into its potential side effects. At the same time, she stressed that medication can be helpful for people who need it and advised anyone dealing with postpartum mental-health concerns to speak with a healthcare professional before making decisions about treatment.
According to Richa, one of the most difficult aspects of the experience was feeling disconnected from the person she had been before pregnancy.
“You have a little bit of an identity crisis. So you don’t remember who you were before the pregnancy. You remember that I liked this food, I liked this person. You have those vague memories, but deep down you don’t remember, at least I didn’t, very basic things,” she said.
She found herself questioning aspects of her own personality and identity, including whether she was attractive, intelligent, outgoing, introverted or extroverted.
Richa Chadha Questions How Motherhood Is Viewed in India
Those personal reflections eventually led Richa to think more deeply about how motherhood is perceived in Indian society.
She said her experience made her examine the idea of placing mothers on an almost unattainable pedestal while overlooking what they actually need.
“So this kind of mulling led me to think about the concept of being a mother. I realised that whatever in India we really want to exploit, we call a mother,” Richa said.
She pointed to the cultural use of the word “mother” in expressions such as Bharat Mata and the way rivers are traditionally referred to as mothers. According to the actor, society frequently glorifies a mother’s sacrifices and treats her almost like a goddess, but simply celebrating those sacrifices does not necessarily provide practical support to mothers.
“If your actions and words meet, then that’s something else,” she added.
How Richa Chadha’s Postpartum Experience Inspired Musafiri
Richa, who studied history, said these thoughts eventually pushed her towards exploring India in a different way.
Her show Musafiri, which she has written and produced, is aimed at helping urban Indians and younger audiences, including Gen Z, discover aspects of India that may not be covered in textbooks.
The project therefore grew from a deeply personal period in her life into a broader exploration of the country, its history and its cultural diversity. Richa hopes the series encourages viewers to look beyond conventional ideas of India and appreciate how varied and fascinating the country can be.
Richa Chadha Had Earlier Spoken About Her Postpartum Recovery
Richa had also discussed the challenges of becoming a mother in an Instagram post in December 2025.
At the time, she wrote about the importance of supporting mothers alongside children, saying, “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.”
She also revealed that she had wanted to resume work relatively soon after childbirth but found that she was not ready physically or mentally.
“As much as I would have liked to get back sooner, my body, my mind wasn’t ready at all,” she had written.
Her latest comments offer another candid look at the less-discussed side of postpartum recovery, particularly the changes in identity and emotional wellbeing that can accompany early motherhood.
