Richa Chadha says she gave her nod to Madam Chief Minister as it is an empowering tale of a woman who battles casteism and sexism to carve her place in the world of politics. However, the makers got off on the wrong foot - the film’s first poster, which saw Chadha holding a broom, was widely criticised for stereotyping the Dalit community, and using the word ‘untouchable’ in the text. Soon, the team retracted the objectionable poster.

Though she had issued an apology on January 15, the actor, talking to mid-day, says the criticism was "premature". "I understand their hatred [towards the poster], but I think the criticism was premature; the filmmakers changed the poster the very next day, as soon as they realised there has been a mistake from their end. This is a learning experience for us. Sometimes, I feel people are harder on women and actors, and I will maintain it in this case because [the umbrage] was misdirected. I was surprised that I was attacked because actors don’t control the making of posters."

Considering Chadha has been a fierce advocate of #MeToo India, her decision to front the Subhash Kapoor-directed movie shocked her fans. In 2014, the director was accused of sexual misconduct by Geetika Tyagi. "I came out of a court case [the defamation suit against Payal Ghosh] only a few months ago. I stand by the #MeToo movement. But at the same time, I don't believe in social media trials. Unlike other [accusations] that were brought to light on Twitter, this case is subjudice. We must respect the law of the land and the court’s verdict. Till the court passes a verdict, I won’t judge anybody," she states.