Richa Chadha talks about how biopic will reflect South siren Shakeela's struggles in the male-dominated industry of the '90s
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 2, 2018)

Having shown a penchant for off-beat roles so far, it is surprising when Richa Chadha admits that she had made up her mind to turn down the Shakeela biopic initially. "I had a polite 'No, thank you' message typed out in my draft even before the makers gave me a narration. But when I heard the story, I found it unbelievable," says Chadha, as she settles down for a quick chat with us on the sets of the Indrajit Lankesh-directed film in Bengaluru.

The actor reveals that playing the South siren on screen has been a journey of revelation for her, as she has come to fully grasp the difficulties that Shakeela had to face in her career. As the ongoing #MeToo movement has sensitised the audience and the industry alike to matters of sexual harassment, she says the film — which brings to life the tumultuous journey of one of the biggest stars of South cinema — will strike a chord with viewers.

"She is a classic case of #MeToo. When we started shooting in July, we had no idea that in the next few months, such a movement would be mobilised. It's tragic that this woman had to go through so much. She is a liberated woman who had to pay the price of speaking up in a male-dominated industry in the '90s."