The actress received mixed responses for her stand. On one side people praised her for taking a courageous stand. On the other, she faced the hashtag #BoycottChhapaak.
Recently, in an exclusive chat with ETimes, Athiya Shetty voiced her opinion about Deepika’s JNU visit. She said, “it was courageous. It is very easy to sit behind a computer screen or a phone and comment. But, to show up and to be part of a movement or part of something, it takes a lot of guts. You need to be brave and that is what she is.”
In reference to the hate Deepika received for her stand, Athiya added, “You can listen to the haters but haters are going to hate.”
Speaking about her stand, Deepika stated earlier itself in an interview with a news channel that she said whatever she wanted to two years ago around the time of Padmaavat’s release. She added that it pains her to see today’s situation. She also hoped that it doesn’t become the new normal where anyone can say anything and get away with it. She stated that she is afraid and she is sad.
At the time she visited JNU, Deepika was in Delhi with director Meghna Gulzar and co-star Vikrant Massey to promote her then-upcoming film, Chhapaak. Several Bollywood celebrities, including Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu, Vishal Bhardwaj, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, and Zoya Akhtar, among others, participated in a protest in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, on the professional front, Deepika’s next feature is in Kabir Khan’s ’83 co-starring Ranveer Singh. She is co-producing the movie. Deepika will also feature in an untitled film with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday. She recently announced her role in the upcoming Mahabharata film, Draupadi.
