Ali Fazal & Richa Chadha team pp with Jiu-Jitsu champs to empower girls in self-defense

In a unique initiative to promote empowerment, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal collaborated with NGO MukkaMaar, which specializes in teaching self-defense to young girls. They organized a Jiu Jitsu workshop led by world champions Andressa Citra and Lucas Valente.

MukkaMaar, founded by actor Ishita Sharma, is a highly regarded NGO that empowers girls by helping them assert their agency through martial arts and athletic training.

Speaking about the event, Richa Chadha said, "Self-defense goes beyond just physical combat; it’s about instilling confidence, resilience, and awareness. When we found out that Andressa was interested, we immediately arranged this special one-day workshop. We’re proud to collaborate with MukkaMaar, an organization that has been empowering girls through self-defense for many years."

Ali Fazal, who has been training in Jiu Jitsu himself, added, "Having the MukkaMaar girls meet Andressa meant they got to engage with a strong role model and see the potential they could achieve. For these young girls to spend even a few hours learning from a world champion is incredibly inspiring and a fantastic opportunity."

Ishita Sharma, MukkaMaar’s founder and CEO, expressed her excitement, saying, "Andressa is truly inspiring, and her expertise is clear in the way she moves, speaks, and coaches! Our students picked up some incredible techniques, and we look forward to working with her again. A big thank you to Richa and Ali for their constant support of MukkaMaar."

Long-time advocates for gender equality and social justice, Richa and Ali recently celebrated the birth of their daughter by distributing sweets to the media and planting trees in drought-affected areas through the Nabhangan Foundation, with trees named after media members.