Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 7, 2018)

When Vidya Balan uninhibitedly took on the role of Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture (2011), she showed that choices led by gumption often result in sweet success. Now, Richa Chadha is all set to bring the story of Shakeela, one of the biggest adult stars to have emerged from the South and Silk Smitha’s successor of sorts, to the big screen.

Helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh who had directed Deepika Padukone in her 2006 launch pad Aishwarya, the biopic will trace the journey of Shakeela, who rose to prominence in the ’90s at a time when the Silk Smitha fever was at its peak. A self-confessed Smitha fan, she forayed into the industry when she was all of 16 and went on to act in several adult films across languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Such was her popularity that at one point, her films were said to rival the box-office collections of South superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty’s movies. Over the years though, she was relegated to cameos, only to return to Telugu cinema this year with the thriller, Seelavathi.

A source reveals that Chadha jumped at the idea of slipping into the layered character. “When Richa was given the narration, she saw that it was a powerful role, and immediately gave her nod.” The source adds that the film is likely to go on floors in April.

Chadha remained unavailable for comment. However, her spokesperson confirmed the news, saying, “Shakeela’s life makes for a great story to tell and will make for a great watch for the audience. The preparations will begin soon.”