Richa Gangopadhyaya, the buxom beauty has announced that she is taking a break from acting in films to pursue her academics. While she clarified that she is not quitting acting, she is only prioritizing her studies for the moment and she will be back soon after finishing her education. The actress who debuted in Telugu with Sekhar Kammula's 'Leader', which also saw Daggubati Rana's debut, has acted in Telugu, Tamil and Bengali movies though Telugu has been her mainstay with hits in Leader, Mirapakay and Mirchi.

In a statement she said 'I know this comes as a shock to many who are unable to understand why I would even take a break when I am at the peak of my film career. But it has been 5 years, when I originally did not even expect to be in India beyond 1-2 years. So it is not a rushed, forced, or unwise decision from my end. These last few years, I have had phenomenal experiences and success working with the best of the best in the Telugu, Tamil and Bengali film industries. I have had dream opportunities to costar with mega actors like Nag Sir, Rana, Ravi Teja, Prabhas, Venky Sir, Dhanush, Simbu and Prosenjit Sir. I have learned so much from ace directors like Sekhar Kammula, P. Vasu, Harish Shankar, Dharani, Selvaraghavan, Shiva and Veerabhadram and with big production houses such as AVM, Suresh Productions, Annapurna Studios/Reliance Entertainment among others. I also got what I personally wanted to do, doing both performance-oriented and commercial/glamorous roles.

I thank God for giving me these precious moments that many aspiring actresses just dream of, but never get to accomplish. And of course my immense gratitude to my amazing parents whose positive attitude in life and unwavering support and guidance through thick and thin allowed me to take this adventurous leap of faith and come out gaining such valuable life lessons. I want to thank each and every one of you who I have met and known these past years from the bottom of my heart for believing in my talent and giving me so many opportunities to prove my skills.

Please know that I will always enjoy acting as it's natural and fun for me, and I am positive there will be wonderful opportunities for me in the future even after the hiatus. It is a bittersweet feeling. I am excited to reconnect with my life, family and friends in the U.S. after 5 years. Yet Richa is "richer" today than 5 years ago, because I discovered an extended family in you all- my fans and friends in the industry. I promise to stay connected via Twitter and maybe will come to India to attend some events. Please wish me luck for the next phase in my life. Cheers till next time.