The first poster of ‘Shakeela’ starring Richa Chadha dropped today and sure left social media buzzing with curiosity and excitement.  The makers made an announcement that the film is all set for a big screen, multi-lingual release on Christmas, putting to rest months of speculation surrounding the release of the film.

This Indrajit Lankesh directorial chronicles the life of the South-Indian soft-core sensation, Shakeela. The latest poster of the film that launched today featureRicha Chadha s the very glamorous-looking Richa donning a red saree and holding a a gun in her hand. In the background, there are references to the many labels that were attached to her — from a box office queen to sexist and obscene words related to her body, religious affiliation and skin colour. The poster is a testament to the fact that Shakeela had everyone pulling her down in the background, but was vivacious and full of spunk even then. So kudos to Richa for translating that into the film!

Shakeela traces the life of this soft-core sensation during the late 1990s and 2000s — which was full of hurdles and discrimination from all quarters. This is a story that goes beyond her popularity and erotic image, and dives into her world and who she really is. Born in a conservative Muslim family, Shakeela began her career at the age of 16. Having worked in about 250 films, she emerged as an adult star who ruled the South film industries in the late 1990s and early 2000s. From playing side characters to becoming the face of B-grade films, she eventually reached the pinnacle of glory. So much so that she gave stiff competition to the the biggest superstars of that era in the South film industry.

Talking about the film, director Indrajit Lankesh says:

Shakeela is my passion project. I have known her since 2003 when I worked with her. Her rags-to-riches story caught my attention. I did some extensive personal interviews with her and came to know so much about the person that she is behind that image of a star. And I knew that it is only Richa who can nail the part. This film will help youngsters who aspire to be part of the film industry understand that there is more to the overlying glitz and glamour.

Shakeela also stars Pankaj Tripathi and Malayalam actor, Rajeev Pillai and I sure cannot wait to watch it this Christmas in the theatres!