Mumbai, A promotional video Deepika Padukone shot for her new film “Chhapaak” has backfired.
In the video, Deepika is seen throwing a TikTok challenge at a user named @faby_makeupartist.
“I want to challenge Faby with three of my most favourite looks,a Deepika is seen telling the make-up artist Faby.
The actress adds that the three looks that Faby has to recreate on herself are of the films “Om Shanti Om” and “Piku”, besides her look as the acid attack survivor Malti in “Chhapaak”.
In the 39-second video, Faby goes on to rapidly create all three looks on herself, one by one to the beats of peppy music.
Perhaps Deepika was trying to give out the message that “Chhapaak”, where her role of Malti is based on real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, happens to be one of her most memorable roles along with “Om Shanti Om” and “Piku”. Social media, however, isn’t amused. The trolling started shortly after a user named Dr Smokiee posted the video on Twitter.
“And just when we thought that @deepikapadukone couldn’t mock Laxmi anymore through her PR stunts in JNU she comes up with tik tok challenge on acid attack victims. Gross,” wrote Dr Smokiee along with the video, on his Twitter account @SmokingSkills_.
Soon, the video started going viral, but with negative reactions to Deepika’s promotional brainwave.
“This is sick beyond imagination. This is demeaning of every acid victim. @deepikapadukone should apologise immediately,” wrote user @HarjeetR.
“How in the world an acid attacked face can be her favourite look?? This is disgusting. Goes on to show how less they care about this issue. Everything they are doing is just for money,” wrote user @shruti2909.
Tweeted @shradxy: “Carrying scars is not “a look” you sick @deepikapadukone.”
“WTF is an acid victim look?” asked @vikrantkumar.
“You do a movie on an acid attack victim, cry in every other promotional event n now this below the belt challenge where a acid attack face is her fav!” tweeted @Sharanyashettyy.
“This promo isn’t cool or cute. It’s insensitive and ghastly. The movie wasn’t about you and your make up. It was about a woman scarred for life. And victims like her, whose marks can’t be wiped off, unlike your make up. You lost the plot,” tweeted @smitabarooah.
Some even seemed to suggest Deepika’s video promotion has affected their admiration for her.
“Someone is receiving ludicrous amount of bad advice!!! Unless the sole aim is to be the most insensitive celeb in the history of this country,a wrote @vedvyazz.
“I am disgusted that I once liked this lady,” wrote @arpankaushik.
There have been many more such reactions on Twitter.
The video was one among several that Deepika had recorded with various TikTok artistes for the promotion of “Chhapaak”.
