Deepika’s JNU visit ‘a PR stunt gone wrong’?

Mumbai:  Since Saturday morning, #DeepikaPRBackfires has been doing rounds on Twitter.

It seems Deepika Padukone’s JNU visit did not go down well with a section of netizens, as they have been criticising it as a publicity stunt for her latest released film “Chhapaak”.

After “Chhapaak” had a below-expectation opening on day one, a section of Twitterati started trolling the actress saying her JNU gesture has backfired and affected the opening day business of her movie.

On the other hand, netizens are lauding Ajay Devgn’s “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” which released on the same day with “Chhapaak”. The period drama has witnessed an impressive opening at the box office.

As per trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” collected a whopping Rs 15.10 crore at the domestic box office on Friday. As a result, Twitterati is being even more unkind while tweeting about Deepika’s “Chhapaak”.

Comparing the opening day box office figures of “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” and “Chhapaak”, a user wrote: “First Day collection Tanhaji- 16 crore, Chhapaak- 4.75 crore. Second day looks even worse for Chhapaak. Compare the bookings and number of shows. This is a lesson for all stars doing PR stunts before release. Not even Congress supporters watching. #DeepikaPRBackfires”.

JNU alumnus Swara Bhaskar has also been vocal about the thrashing of JNU students, condemning the incident and calling the university her “home”. Taking a dig at both Swara and Deepika, a user wrote: “Swara Bhasker jumped into JNU controversy thinking she will get famous and her movies starts doing like that of Deepika’s. Then Deepika did JNU PR stunt. Now Deepika’s movie is doing like that of Swara Bhasker. #DeepikaPRBackfires”.

Another user claims Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s last few movies have not done well because people were upset over his statement on ‘intolerance’ and now Deepika is following his path.

“Shah Rukh Khan gave Intolerance Statement. Fan- Flop, Zero- Flop, Jab Harry Met Sejal-Flop, Dear Zindagi-Flop. Deepika went to JNU, stood with Tukde tukde gang. Chhapaak : Flop. Lesson for Bollywood supporters going against nationalism. #DeepikaPRBackfires”.

Another user wrote that while a subject like acid attack needs serious attention in our society, “Chhapaak” suffered on the opening day due to Deepika Padukone’s PR stunt gone wrong.

“Im actually not happy as Chhapaak isnt doing good because this movie is based on the most evil part of our society which is acid attack. I wanted it to be super duper hit so that it reaches everywhere. But @deepikapadukone stupidity has defeated all of us. #DeepikaPRBackfires”

Claiming that the actress was an “anti-national activist”, another user wrote: “India has changed forever. Now the people do not tolerate anti-national activists, be it any celebrity. #DeepikaPRBackfires”.

While #DeepikaPRBackfires” continued to trend throughout Saturday morning, so did “#BlockbusterTanhaji”.

Published on: Jan 11, 2020 at 15:00 IST

IANS