Richa Chadha apologises for Madam Chief Minister's 'objectionable' poster, says 'our heart's in the right place'

Richa Chadha recently unveiled the first look poster of her upcoming political drama Madam Chief Minister. In the poster, she could be seen holding a broom, covered in muck. The tagline read, “Untouchable, unstoppable.” The image has received significant backlash for being tone-deaf, misrepresenting the Dalit community, and for not casting a Dalit actor in the lead role. The actress recently released a statement, clarifying her stance on the matter. She elaborated that the film’s cast and crew never harboured wrong intentions and that the poster was an unfortunate oversight. The actress added that as the film’s release is nearing, she is feeling nostalgic as she’s becoming aware that she’s got to let Tara (her character in the film) go. Read Richa Chadha’s statement below “This film was learning experience for me, for us all. The promotions were no different. 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. As an actor, I receive the communication for posting, complete with the copy, handles, and hashtags. Needless to say, I have no role in the designing of promotional materials. By saying this, I am not throwing the makers under the bus. They realised this inadvertent error and took this criticism in their stride. They responded immediately by retracting the objectionable poster and by releasing a new poster the very next day. 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. We have made this film for love, as though we were on a mission to tell this story. Tara, one feisty oddball of a woman, fights patriarchy, caste oppression, 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.” Believed to be based on Mayawati, who has served four terms as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the film is written and directed by Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor has previously helmed satirical comedies like Phas Gaye Re Obama, Jolly LLB, and Jolly LLB 2. Madam Chief Minister is scheduled for theatrical release on 22 January.