I take it in right spirit: Richa Chadha on comparisons with Vidya Balan in 'Shakeela'

Mumbai: Actor Richa Chadha says comparisons between her upcoming "Shakeela" and Vidya Balan's "The Dirty Picture" are inevitable but she takes it in the right spirit. The Indrajit Lankesh-directed film features Richa as the eponymous adult actor who was one of the biggest stars of the '90s from Kerala and acted in several adult films in languages spanning Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. "The Dirty Picture" featured Vidya in the lead and was inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, who acted in several erotic movies. When asked about the comparisons between the two films, Richa told reporters, "The only similarity is that a biopic is made on a personality which society deems controversial, on an actor who everyone watches but doesn't want to recognise.

Bold and fearless. PRESENTING THE FIRST LOOK OF #Shakeela! @lankeshindrajit @ShakeelaFilm pic.twitter.com/SJx1oCea6q

— TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) November 20, 2018

Starting this new year with a BANG! #Shakeela is coming your way with all the retro feels. #2019ShakeelaKeNaam @RichaChadha @lankeshindrajit #HappyNewYear2019 pic.twitter.com/sTTUReUmKE

— Shakeela (@ShakeelaFilm) January 2, 2019

"There are no more similarities but I understand people will compare the film to 'The Dirty Picture.' "I take it in the right spirit, that even if they are comparing they are doing with Vidya Balan! She's a wonderful actor and Milan Luthria had made a good film. If people are comparing, let them. At least they aren't comparing it with a bad film. We can't escape it so we claim it," Richa said at a special event of "Shakeela", where she launched a customized calendar of the film. The "Masaan" actor said the film deals with Shakeela's life story with a lot of sensitivity.

In Pictures: @RichaChadha, @lankeshindrajit and others at the calendar launch of #Shakeela.#SammysMagicCinemas #YoddhasEntertainment @ShakeelaFilm pic.twitter.com/HUpmoJThOB

— Box Office India (@boxofficeindia) January 17, 2019

Witness the launch of the epic and one of its kind calendar for the @ShakeelaFilm starring @RichaChadha in 12 different avatars. This one's for the month of #December.#RIchaChadha #Shakeela #ShakeelaCalanderLaunch #CalanderLaunch #BollywoodCelebs #koimoi pic.twitter.com/4H7vJn7bX8

— Koimoi.com (@Koimoi) January 17, 2019

"That's the intent of the film, to basically show her personal life- what she went through. We are talking about feminism in the film industry today but for her to stand up against authority in the 90s and early 2000, when there was no social media... "Even now, when the women spoke against #MeToo in the Kerala film industry, they are kind of being ostracised. So we can imagine how much bravery and guts it took her to speak at that point of time." PTI Here'a look at Shakeela Calendar 2019:  Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019' Richa Chadha on 'Shakeela Calendar 2019'