Meghna Gulzar Finally Reveals Whether Deepika Padukone’s Controversial Visit To JNU Affect Chhapaak At The Box Office (Picture Credit: Facebook)
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Deepika Padukone is known for her elegance, versatility, and commitment to her craft. While she is a phenomenal actress, she landed in controversies a few times in her career. One of them was when she visited JNU just three days before the release of Chhapaak, helmed by Meghna Gulzar.
The film, which was released in 2020, was based on the life of an acid attack survivor and campaigner for the rights of acid attack victims, Laxmi Agarwal. Despite such strong backing, Chhapaak didn’t do well at the box office. The filmmaker now opens up about DP’s controversial visit.
During a conversation with The Indian Express, Meghna Gulzar acknowledged that the controversial visit of Deepika Padukone to JNU just three days before the film’s release had an impact on its reception. “I am sure that the answer is pretty obvious. Yes, of course, it made a dent in 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,” she said.
Deepika Padukone’s presence at a protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 7, 2020, just days before Chhapaak’s release, ignited a social media storm amid the 2020 JNU attack and Citizenship (Amendment) Act controversies. Hashtags #BoycottChhapaak and #BlockDeepika trended on Twitter.
Co-producing with Fox Star Studios, Govind Singh Sandhu, and Meghna Gulzar, Deepika Padukone made her production debut with Chhapaak. Despite a Rs 50 crore budget, the film only earned Rs 55.44 crore at the box office.
About Sam Bahadur
Meghna Gulzar’s upcoming film, Sam Bahadur, stars Vicky Kaushal as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, portraying his pivotal role in India’s 1971 war victory and the birth of Bangladesh. The narrative emphasizes Manekshaw’s leadership and triumphs.
Scheduled for release on December 1, Sam Bahadur will go head-to-head with Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal at the box office.
