Bollywood actress Richa Chadha has said, "The first poster that was released faced severe criticism, rightly so. What to me (and my privileged eyes) was a mere prop used by my character in a scene, came across as a stereotypical portrayal of Dalits for many of our people." Chadha found herself in mid of a controversy over the first look of her upcoming political film, Madam Chief Minister Poster. The tagline read, "Untouchable, unstoppable".
Chadha's appearance started receiving backlash on social media for misrepresentation of the Dalit community and casual casteism. Reacting to the news, now she has apologised saying the team's intention was not to hurt anyone's sentiments and it was an "inadvertent error". The makers are also drawing flak online for not casting a Dalit actor in the lead role. The film is directed by Subhash Kapoor.
Chadha unveiled the poster on January 4 and gave us a sneak peek into the life of Tara Didi, a woman who "fights patriarchy" and "caste oppression." She tweeted saying this film is "a political drama about an 'untouchable' who hustles and makes it big in life!" Since then, many started expressing outrage over her look as she appeared in the poster in short hair, holding a broom with bruises on her face.
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Here is the first poster:
Further explaining her involvement with the film she claimed that she has "no role in the designing of promotional materials," but the makers have already realised this "inadvertent error and took this criticism in their stride." She assured that they have removed the "objectionable poster" and released a new one the very next day.
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"It was a regrettable and a completely unintentional oversight, not a deliberate insinuation. We are sorry. Our heart is in the right place. Hopefully you will see that for yourself when you watch the film," she explained saying that a mistake was made and corrected on time.
Richa Chadha's character
The film is reportedly believed to be based on Mayawati, who served four terms as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Chadha said that Tara is "one feisty oddball of a woman" who fights "brutal violence along with the usual betrayals of politics, to rise to the top and affect change."
"And she does so with incredible dignity and courage. I could relate to her righteous rage. She spoke to me. As the film nears release, I am becoming aware that I have to say goodbye to Tara. I am also aware that she will never entirely leave my side," she added.
Watch Madam Chief Minister trailer here:
The film also stars Akshay Oberoi and Shubhrajyoti and will release on 22 January.
Also Read: Richa Chadha Gets Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Awards Says Proud To Have Won With ‘No Godfather’
Feature Image Credit: Richa Chadha/Twitter
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