Meghna Gulzar on Deepika Padukone's JNU visit during 'Chhapaak' release: 'It made a dent on the film'

Meghna Gulzar and Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak came out in January 2020. That was also the time when students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University were in a protest relating to the 2020 JNU attack and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The actress, who also turned producer with Gulzar’s film, stood by them by paying a visit to the JNU, which drew mixed reactions. When the film released, it failed to be a commercial success. Gulzar, whose next film _Sam Bahadur_ releases on December 1, told The Indian Express about Padukone's visit and said, “I am sure that the answer is pretty obvious. Yes, of course, it made a dent on the film. Because the conversation went from acid violence, which I intended the film to amplify, to somewhere else. So, of course, it impacted the film. There is no denying that.” Her visit to the JNU campus received both criticism and appreciation on social media with some calling up for a “boycott” of her films and others appreciating the actor for her “bold” move. While at one end, #boycottchhapaak emerged as the top trend in India, the hashtag #ISupportDeepika was trending as well with several users tweeting in the actor’s support. BJP National spokesperson Nupur Sharma also slammed the  actor in a tweet. She said, “I usually avoid tweeting to Bollywood but if this is your bid to sell a movie on a woman’s fight by sharing the stage with somebody penalised for sexual misconduct (he flashed himself to a woman student at JNU in 2015) then it defeats the very purpose!” Padukone was among the few top Bollywood celebrities who offered their support to the students’ protests. A slew of Bollywood celebrities such as directors Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and actors Taapsee Pannu and Richa Chadha had turned up at Carter Road in Mumbai in solidarity with those protesting against the violence at the JNU.