Today, Deepika Padukone is one of the biggest actresses in Bollywood, but that does not end her troubles, especially when it comes to facing backlash for her films.
The actress has time and again found herself and her films embroiled in political controversies, be it the infamous 'Besharam Rang' row during 'Pathaan' release, or the Karni Sena threatening to "chop off her nose" after 'Padmaavat'.
The actress has never been seen reacting to the political backlash that she receives, but she has now finally shared her take on the hullabaloo.
Deepika Padukone opens up on facing political backlash
Deepika recently turned the cover girl for renowned international magazine TIME. She also spoke at length about her films and the love she gets from her fans, as well as the occasional hate that comes her way.
Deepika's films have time and again faced criticism from political leaders and fringe groups. However, the actress seems to be unfazed about it.
When questioned about the constant political backlash, Deepika told TIME that she does not really feel anything about it. "I don’t know if I’m supposed to feel something about it," she said.
Times when Deepika's films found them at the centre of controversies
Deepika's 2013 film 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela' faced criticism after a section of people termed the name as an insult to the Lord Ram and his story, Ramleela. Later, 'Bajirao Mastani', in 2015, got into a controversy over the portrayal of Peshwa Bajirao and his love affair with Mastani.
'Padmaavat' released in 2018 and Karni Sena, along with other Hindu fringe groups, vandalised the sets of the film in a bid to discourage the team from making the film. Not just that, but they also threatened to chop off Deepika's nose claiming that the portrayal of Rani Padmavati in the film was incorrect.
In 2020, ahead of the release of 'Chhapaak', Deepika visited JNU in Delhi and stood in solidarity with the student protestors who were attacked by a mob, and that too resulted in a section of people boycotting the film.
Recently, when 'Pathaan' released in January 2023, several political leaders objected to the actress wearing a saffron bikini in the song 'Besharam Rang' and claimed that it insulted Hinduism, which considers saffron to be a holy colour.
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