Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar recently admitted that Deepika Padukone’s controversial visit to JNU, just three days prior the release of her movie Chhapaak, impacted the 2020 film’s reception and its box office collection. Deepika Padukone’s film Chhapaak came in 2020 and it was based on the life of acid attack survivor and campaigner for rights of acid attack victims, Laxmi Agarwal.

During the Express Adda on Monday, Meghna admitted that Deepika’s controversial visit to JNU just three days prior the film’s release impacted its reception and affected its performance.

Deepika Padukone in movie Chhapaak

The director of Chhapaak Meghna Gulzar said, “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.”

Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone’s participated in the protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 7, 2020. it was three days prior the release of Chhapaak. the protest was in response to the 2020 JNU attack and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. All this led to social media uproar and hashtags like #BoycottChhapaak and #BlockDeepika started trending on Twitter. This put a negative impact in the movie Chhapaak performance on the screen.

Meghna admitted that Deepika’s controversial visit to JNU impacted its reception

Deepika Padukone marked her debut in production with Chhapaak movie. It was co-produced alongside Fox Star Studios, Govind Singh Sandhu, and Meghna Gulzar. Chhapaak was made with Rs 50 crore, but the movie only earned Rs 55.44 crore at the box office.

On the work front, Meghna Gulzar’s upcoming venture is Sam Bahadur in which Vicky Kaushal will be seen playing the role of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. The film portrays Manekshaw’s pivotal role in India’s victory during the 1971 war, which led to the birth of Bangladesh.