We as a society are weird. We talk a lot about sanskar, religion, piousness, and whatnot. Then we watch and consume everything that goes against those beliefs (According to the people who believe in said beliefs, okay. Not according to me. I think that everything is open for consumption and appreciation if it's any good). And then we try to ban it so that we aren't associated with such content? What kind of weird, twisted, and downright stupid mentality is that? I don't know but this behaviour was called out in The Dirty Picture, which was based on the life of Silk Smitha, and it looks like it's going to be called out again in its unintentional spiritual sequel, Shakeela.
The official synopsis for the movie states: "Shakeela is a film inspired by life events of a famous star Shakeela who predominantly starred in southern cinema. She starred in many controversial and bold films. Making her debut at a young age of 16, she went on to star in about 250 films. She was a major star in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Such was her aura that, stars back then used to avoid releasing their films opposite her. Shakeela stars Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi in the lead and is directed by noted director Indrajit Lankesh. The film portrays the hardships of the actress as she had to face lots of criticism, insults and betrayals from her own family members and the film fraternity who were influential in getting her films banned."
Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi are amazing. I mean, come on, it's Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi FFS. They're two of the most brilliant actors working in the industry right now and I am sure they'll nail their respective roles. That said, I have two things on my mind. Firstly, since it's inspired by Shakeela's life story, who dominated South Indian cinema, why don't we have South Indian actors in the lead roles? Chadha is from Punjab and I know that by calling it a movie that's "based" on the stories of the South Indian actress will give her the leeway to do her thing. But it will cut down on representation. And secondly, the filmmaking. Indian movies rarely get it right when it comes to showing how films are made. Halal Love Story is a good example. So, I am hoping that Shakeela gets that right.
Cover image courtesy: Zee Music Company/Mashable India
