Deepika Padukone’s 2020 film Chhapaak championed the cause of acid attack survivors. It was based on the life of acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal. Helmed by Meghna Gulzar, the film failed to make a dent at the box office. During an interview, the director admitted that Deepika’s visit to JNU, just three days before the film’s release impacted its reception.
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 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.”
The actor showed her solidarity with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in January 2020. The protest was in response to the 2020 JNU attack and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which sparked a social media uproar.
Consequently, hashtags #BoycottChhapaak and #BlockDeepika trended on Twitter.
Meghna's upcoming film Sam Bahadur stars Vicky Kaushal in the lead role as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. It is set to release alongside Ranbir Kapoor's film Animal.
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