With her movies being an extension of her personal beliefs, Richa Chadha has introduced us to several brave women on screen mdash from Devi in Masaan (2015) to Hiral in Section 375 (2019). Off screen too, the actor fiercely champions gender equality. Now, Chadha has thrown her weight behind Power with Mukki, a programme that will teach self-defense to young girls. The digital project is the brainchild of MukkaMaar, a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation that closely works with the Mumbai Municipal Education Department to ensure gender-equitable schooling.

It has tied up with government schools across the city to teach combat skills to girls belonging to the age group of 10 to 14 years. The conversation-based learning programme is enabled on WhatsApp, thus being available to even the marginalised communities. The NGO aims to train 10,000 girls by 2022. 'Self-defense among girls will continue to be a priority till we are able to change our boys,' says Chadha, reiterating that positive gender practices have to be inculcated in boys from a young age to see tangible change. 'May the situation never arise, when one needs to defend themselves, but it's not just about fighting predators off. Learning self-defense gives girls more confidence in their own bodies, and makes them capable of expressing themselves better. MukkaMaar is doing incredible work, with thousands of girls and young adults.'