Richa Chadha apologises for controversial Madam Chief Minister poster: 'A completely unintentional oversight'

Saying that she had no role in designing it, Richa Chadha has apologised for stereotyping of Dalits in Madam Chief Minister poster.

Actor Richa Chadha received widespread backlash when she released the first look of her upcoming film, Madam Chief Minister. She earlier defended the poster, but has now issued a statement, apologising for the "inadvertent error".

Richa Chadha on the poster of Madam Chief Minister.

Richa, who plays an aspiring politician who works for the backward castes and women in a largely patriarchal society, was seen holding a broom in the image. The stereotyping was not well-received and many even criticised the makers for not choosing a Dalit woman to play the lead.

Richa has now said in a statement, "This film was learning experience for me, for us all. The promotions were no different. The first poster that was released faced severe criticism, rightly so. What to me (and my privileged eyes) was a mere prop used by my character in a scene , came across as a stereotypical portrayal of Dalits for many of our people."

"As an actor, I receive the communication for posting, complete with the copy, handles and hashtags. Needless to say, I have no role in the designing of promotional materials. By saying this, I am not throwing the makers under the bus. They realised this inadvertent error and took this criticism in their stride. They responded immediately by retracting the objectionable poster and by releasing a new poster the very next day. It was a regrettable and a completely unintentional oversight, not a deliberate insinuation. We are sorry. Our heart is in the right place. Hopefully you will see that for yourself when you watch the film," she added.

Richa further said, "We have made this film for love, as though we were on a mission to tell this story. Tara, one feisty oddball of a woman, fights patriarchy, caste oppression, brutal violence along with the usual betrayals of politics, to rise to the top and affect change. And she does so with incredible dignity and courage. I could relate to her righteous rage. She spoke to me. As the film nears release, I am becoming aware that I have to say goodbye to Tara. I am also aware that she will never entirely leave my side."

Madam Chief Minister is a political drama directed by Subhash Kapoor. It also stars Akshay Oberoi and Shubhrajyoti. The film was originally scheduled to release on July 17, 2020 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.