'Chhapaak' director Meghna Gulzar breaks silence over Deepika Padukone's JNU visit

Deepika Padukone's decision to visit a Left-dominated Students' Union protest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was described by director Meghna Gulzar as a 'personal' one.

Asserting that one should know how to separate the 'personal' from 'professional', the filmmaker urged audiences to 'divert the lens' and look at the reason for making a film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Starring Deepika Padukone in the lead role, the film catapulted to national headlines after the Bollywood A-lister showed up at JNU just three days before the release of the film. 

READ: Deepika Padukone Should Understand India, Needs An Advisor Like Me: Baba Ramdev

Chhapaak director breaks silence 

“We have to be able to separate between the personal and professional. What somebody does in their personal life and what they have done as a professional in a film needs to be looked at separately,” Meghna told PTI in a telephonic interview when asked to comment on Deepika’s much-discussed visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“While they are trying to separate the lens of personal and professional if one can slightly divert the lens back to the reason why we made the film and what we are trying to talk about and bring to light... I think it is important,” she added.

READ:  Deepika Padukone Confronted Over Controversial JNU Visit, Dodges Questions

Meanwhile, just three days after the Delhi police's press briefing wherein the force revealed details of its probe into the shocking violence that took place on the JNU campus on Jan 5,  Padukone was confronted for the first time over her stand on her controversial JNU visit by Republic TV. However, after several attempts, the actress dodged the questions asked by the reporter. 

Drawing conflicting views on all fronts, Deepika Padukone's visit to JNU became a center of controversy after sources claimed that it was a part of film promotions. Matters further escalated when few pictures of Deepika with JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh were sourced to a public relations firm, 'SPICE PR' raising alarm on social media. 

READ: Deepika Padukone's Brand Visibility Takes A Hit After Controversial JNU Visit: Reports

READ: Chhapaak: Deepika's Film Registers IMDb Rating 4.5 After More Than 3,900 '1-star' Reviews

(Quotes from PTI news agency)