Richa Chadha is set to play adult film star Shakeela in an upcoming biopic directed by Indrajit Lankesh. The Fukrey star met Shakeela for the first time in Bangalore to gain insights into her character before the shoot starts. The two spent a long time together as Shakeela gave Richa all the stories and details from her long career.
Shakeela is one of the most famous actors in the southern film industry.
Starting off in the film Playgirls where she acted with another icon Silk Smitha, she took the region by storm. Shakeela gained stardom in the Malayalam film industry when it was a male-dominated business. Her films were dubbed and released in languages all across India. The filmmakers insist that Shakeela’s story is ripe for celluloid and Richa is perfect for playing the challenging role.
About coming on board for the biopic, Richa told IANS: “The film’s script was exciting and is a great story to tell and the story will make for a great watch for the audience.
The film is the story of Shakeela, one of the most famous actors from Malayalam cinema from the 1990s who rose to a spectacular amount of fame. Her fans were spread across Asia and she earned fanfare as a woman which back then was unheard of.
In an interview with Bombay Times, Richa said: "I am not going to put on weight to play Shakeela as I feel that aspect is quite superficial. The film is about standing up for herself in a male-dominated society."
(With inputs from IANS, Bombay Times)
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