Actress Richa Chadha who will be seen essaying popular South Indian actress Shakeela in a biopic of the latter, has been trying hard to get into the skin of the character. From outfits to body language, Richa is trying to put forth an honest portrayal of the actress. In a recent first look that was revealed, Richa was spotted in a traditional Kerala sari.
According to reports, Shakeela has agreed to guide Richa through the process, and help with the outfits, behavioural traits and other subtle nuances of the character. “Richa is elated to have Shakeela be such an imperative and crucial part of the process," her spokesperson said. Richa had in fact flown to Bengaluru to meet Shakeela before beginning work on the biopic.
The biopic directed by Indrajit Lankesh will look at the adult star's early life and her rise to stardom in the Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu film industries. The film will release sometime in 2019. Shakeela recently announced her 250th film Seelavathi, which will mark her return to the big screen after 10 years. Playgirls was her maiden film, and her popularity reached its zenith with the Malayalam film Kinnarathumbikal, which became a cult classic.
Actor Pankaj Tripathi has also been roped in to essay the role of a southern film actor of the 1990s in the biopic. Pankaj has been studying his character's nuances carefully. He will join the team towards August end in a location in Karnataka for the shoot.
"I am delighted to be part of this biopic. It talks about the life of Shakeela that people need to hear and my character is someone who is her friend and also an actor. It is amazing to know all the stories, anecdotes and incidents that have happened in her life. I am glad I could be a part of this film," Pankaj said in a statement.