JAIPUR: Deepika Padukone's recent visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) has sparked off a controversy, with admirers hailing her and critics slamming her. But even as calls to #BoycottChapaak trended on Twitter, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot came out openly in support of the Bollywood actress.
The Congress Chief in Rajasthan, Pilot, condemned the call to boycott Deepika’s upcoming film "Chhapaak" after the Bollywood star visited JNU to express her solidarity with students after a mob rampaged the university. Chhapaak is a film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, with Deepika playing the lead role.
"It's a very narrow mindset if any actor or actress is not in your favour, then you talk about boycotting their films," Pilot told reporters in Jaipur. "I condemn the leaders who talk about boycotting to watch the film of any actor or actress. More people will watch this film now," the Congress leader said.
Pilot even took to Twitter to express his support for Deepika and tweeted: ‘Asking for a boycott of her film because @DeepikaPadukone exercises her Democratic right to express an opinion is most condemnable. Oh well, if nothing else-it'll make more people watch the movie #Chhapaak. So that’s that!’ Pilot even went to the extent of saying that he would now see the film "Chhapaak" though he earlier had no such plans.
Deepika had visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on Tuesday, to express solidarity with the students who were attacked when a masked mob stormed the campus on Sunday. Deepika had faced death threats and social media vitriol for speaking out during the release of her controversial film "Padmaavat" two years ago has also turned producer with "Chhapaak", directed by Meghna Gulzar. The movie is scheduled to release on Friday.