After intriguing teaser posters, the makers of Richa Chadha starrer Madam Chief Minister unveiled the trailer of the gut shaking political drama last week, written and directed by Subhash Kapoor. The film will showcase Richa as a figure of power and dignity alongside talented performers like Saurabh Shukla, Manav Kaul, Akshay Oberoi and Shubhrajyoti. However, soon after the posters were released, Richa received widespread backlash for misrepresenting the Dalit community. She was seen holding a broom in one of the posters. The stereotyping was not well-received and many even criticized the makers for not choosing a Dalit woman to play the lead.
Richa has now said in a statement, "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," she added.
Richa further said, "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."
A Kangra Talkies production, written & directed by Subhash Kapoor, produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Naren Kumar & Dimple Kharbanda, the film is set to release in cinemas on January 22, 2021.
(Source: Mid Day)
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