Richa Chadha is known for her intensity on screen. So, when she says she recently had a brush with real-life convicts, you’d think it was to prepare for a role.

But it wasn’t. The incident occurred while shooting for Fukrey 2. Richa plays a don, Bholi Punjaban, but said it was not based on any real-life character.

“I came to know that there was a prisoner named Sonu Punjaban in prison, but I did not get to meet her,” she said.

Her character goes to jail in the first part of the film, she said, adding that Fukrey 2 is an extension of the first film and will take off from where it ended.

Richa shot a few scenes in Tihar Jail and said it was her first brush with prison grounds.

“We shot in the passages of the prison as we were not allowed to go inside. Only I was allowed in the passage where we were shooting. Director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, the cameraman and the crew were outside with the camera. I enjoyed my time as this was my very first experience of a real prison,” she said.

Richa revealed that this was one of the toughest roles she ever did. “When I did Fukrey, I was a newcomer to the industry. I had a lot of inhibitions, but I was also excited to be seen on the big screen. We are doing the sequel after almost five years. I have done many films and am a seasoned actress now. I know my angles now. Mrighdeep asked me to unlearn whatever I had learnt in these five years. The role has a rustic appeal, she uses a lot of cuss words and is bold. She doesn’t care what the world thinks about her. I felt liberated after doing this role as I had shed all my inhibitions,” the Masaan actress said.

Apart from Fukrey 2, she will be seen in Tabrez Noorani’s Love Sonio and Sudhir Mishra’s Devdas takeoff. “They are both scheduled to release next year. Sudhir Mishra has changed the title from Devdas to Das Dev now,” she said.