Meghna Gulzar shared whether Deepika Padukone’s JNU visit impacted Chhapaak.
Meghna Gulzar opened up about Chhapaak and whether Deepika Padukone’s JNU visit impacted her film.
Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak was a powerful film that had received widespread accaim after it’s release. However, the Meghna Gulzar film was also embroiled in a controversy after Deepika Padukone visited Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) during the CAA-NRC protests. Now the film-maker has admitted that Deepika Padukone’s visit three days prior to its release ‘made a dent’ on her film.
In an interview with Indian Express, Meghna Gulzar shared,”I am sure that the answer is pretty obvious. Yes, of course, it made a dent on the film. Because the conversation went from acid violence, which I intended the film to amplify, to somewhere else. So, of course it impacted the film. There is no denying that.”
Based on the story of real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, Chhapaak revolves around Malti (Deepika) and her struggle to find justice after a man pours acid on her face for rejecting his proposal.
For the unversed, Deepika Padukone had made a surprise visit at JNU in 2020 where student leaders were addressing a gathering. They were condemning the attack on Varsity students by some masked men and women. She was spotted standing with the students at the Sabarmati T-point, where a public meeting was called by alumni of JNU. Padukone did not address the meeting and left after an hour.
As for Meghna Gulzar, she is looking forward to her next film Sam Bahadur. It explores the life of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, emphasising his sacrifices for the nation. The film pays a heartfelt tribute to his unwavering bravery and sharp wit. For the unversed, Sam Manekshawan’s career in the army spanned over four decades and five wars. He was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and his military victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Sam Bahadur also stars Neeraj Kabi, Edward Sonnenblick (as Lord Mountbatten), Richard Bhakti Klein (as Ambassador Keating), Saqib Ayub (Captain Attiqur Rahman) and Krishna Kant Singh Bundela (as Subedar Gurbaksh Singh) in key roles. It is set to hit theatres on December 1.
