Vivek Agnihotri Says Deepika Padukone ‘Had No Idea’ About JNU Politics — PR Misled Her Visit

Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak, which was released in 2020, was a bold effort in itself, bringing the deeply traumatic and yet, uplifting story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal to the big screen. Unfortunately, all the merit of the film was completely eclipsed by the JNU controversy the actor found herself embroiled with just before the film was released.

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Now, when we talk about the intersection of Bollywood and politics, director Vivek Agnihotri is a name that emerges consistently, and he has a take on Deepika's transgressions with JNU. According to a PTI report, during an interview with journalist Shubhankar Mishra, Vivek said that the backlash Deepika faced for her brief appearance at JNU was not her fault.

Now before you start rolling your eyes. Vivek referred to the actor as politically ignorant at the time, especially regarding JNU politics.

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“I can guarantee that Deepika had no idea about JNU politics when she went there...It’s not about being dumb.” Not wanting to stoke any extra drama, Vivek was also quick to clarify that he in no way, finds Deepika to be "dumb" — "I don’t know her personally, so I don’t know what ideology she aligns with. I do know that she is a very smart and intelligent woman. Had she known that this is a politically sensitive place and that it might impact her career, she would’ve definitely not gone. During film promotions, there are too many voices telling stars what to do and who to speak to. Her PR was mistaken, they thought it was an event. But it wasn’t an event. Bigger fish than her have been fried for getting involved in politics".

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