Richa Chadha is all set to play the titular role in the biopic on the controversial, South adult film star – ‘Shakeela’.
Known for his versatile performances, Mirzapur actor Pankaj Tripathi too plays a prominent role in this movie.
Tripathi recently took to Instagram to share his ‘first look’ poster from the movie. He will be seen essaying the role of a South Indian Superstar. He sure does look like a hotshot…decked in a red suit, rocking some aviators and clutching a trophy and mic!
Speaking about the role, Pankaj told TOI, “I am thrilled that our little labour of love Shakeela is all set to release in theatres this Christmas. I am so excited about the film because I have worked with the very talented friend Richa Chadha in this film. I have a beautiful part in the film. I play an actor for the first time in my career. I have always wanted to play an actor on screen and bring out the idiosyncrasies of artists on screen. It’s an interesting and colourful character.”
Who Was Shakeela?
Born in a conservative Muslim family, Shakeela began her career at 16. She had appeared in about 250 films, most of them softcore, which made her a major sex symbol in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The biopic on this adult film actress is being helmed by director Indrajit Lankesh. Talking about how the movie will attempt to underline the sexist nature of the film industry, he commented to Midday – “The Malayalam film circuit was dominated by male actors when Shakeela entered the scene. She rose in popularity as her films would run for 100 days in every centre in south India. “
“The superstars started feeling threatened. Eventually, due to backlash, her films were censored and she had to return her advances to many producers; she had to go back to her one-room apartment. Through the film, we’ll show what a woman goes through in a male-dominated industry.”
The film is slated to release in theatres on 25 December 2020.