Deepika Padukone Speaks Up Against The IMDB Rating Conspiracy, Says It Hasn’t Changed Her Resolve. You Go Girl!
They say, there is a price you have to pay for every action, every decision, every choice that you make. And they are pretty damned right about that. Nothing comes free in this world, there are no free lunches, and every step that you in any direction, often comes with consequences. But the real catch here is always to identify whether or not those are even worth it, because if they are, then there shouldn’t be anything that should stop you from pursuing what your heart desires. Something that we saw for ourselves, when we saw Chhapaak actress Deepika Padukone, joined the JNU protesters in solidarity, to stand against the violence that had taken place at the campus.
While the entire nation scatters in chaos, confusion and an urge for change, we saw the Bollywood industry sitting tight on their high horses, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to all the commotion going around the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act by the government. And while the country went up in flames and witnessed several men, women and students coming to the fore to fight for their rights, there were only a select few from the Bollywood industry who turned up with a spine, Deepika Padukone being one of them.
Doing this at the cost of her own fame, popularity and public image, two days prior to the release of her movie Chhapaak, knowing that taking a political stand at such a tumultuous time may not end well for her, the actress did not shy away from going after what she believed in and standing in solidarity with the JNU Students. An act that was called anti-nationalist by many people, resulted in a wave of mixed reactions from the public. Twitter was abuzz with trends boycotting her movie, cancelling their tickets (!) and what not. All because this was seen as an anti-national move.
https://twitter.com/MonaDarlingx/status/1222490315161915393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1222490315161915393&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hindustantimes.com%2Fbollywood%2Fdeepika-padukone-on-chhapaak-being-downvoted-on-imdb-after-jnu-visit-they-have-changed-my-rating-not-my-mind%2Fstory-VYguBYpb1B9mcEMlQQEpqO.html
When all that incessant trolling didn’t work, because people still went to watch the movie, a whole bunch of people on the internet devised a scheme. Yes, they’re that vela. A whole community of people rated Chhapaak on IMDB badly. Given that this is one of the primary sources of film reviews, this was obviously a targeted strategy. Her film, Chhapaak, that was supposed to be an eye-opener and a wake up call for the public to see and learn from, had to bear the brutal brunt of Deepika’s stance.
Also Read : Chhapaak Is Not About Deepika Padukone, It’s About Laxmi Agarwal. It’s About Acid Attacks, Not Politics.
In a video that has only recently surfaced, the director of the movie, Meghna Gulzar, Deepika Padukone was seen replying to the happenings as she said, “Unhone meri IMDb rating badli hai, mera mann nahi (They have changed my IMDb rating, not my mind).”
Never underestimate the power of sad men in large numbers, rejected by women, who suddenly find an ideology that encourages hate. pic.twitter.com/da8Exiw9QP
— Agrima 🇮🇳 (@Agrimonious) January 13, 2020
But what hurts here was the fact that in middle of this political drama and conspiracy, a movie as important and powerful as Chhapaak ended up being reduced to just collateral damage. Deepika Padukone, who had produced the movie herself, considering it was a story she was yearning to tell to the world was hoping to release this movie as a way to educate and inspire people – a message that should have travelled far and wide. And the fact that people couldn’t even differentiate that and see the bigger picture, was disappointing not just for her, but for us as well.
Trade Analyst Girish Johar said, “Yes from all the rights, it seems that Chhapaak actually is not a losing venture. Also, since Deepika herself produced the film, her acting fee charged for this film will not be considerable. This, I feel, is one of those passion projects that actors like to do,” and we are proud of Deepika Padukone for being confident and holding on to her ethics both on screen and off screen,.
