Aishwarya Rai Bachchan opted out of 'Chhapaak', claims writer Rakesh Bharti

The Meghna Gulzar directorial starring Deepika Padukone, Chhapaak is a few days away from its theatrical release. However, the film has gotten into a controversy after writer Rakesh Bharti filed a petition against the makers of Chhapaak and claimed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and other actors rejected the script of the same. Here are all the known details that have surfaced around the recent conflict so far:

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Did Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reject Rakesh Bharti's film?

Recently, writer Rakesh Bharti stirred controversy as he claimed that he developed the original Idea for Chhapaak, and also registered it with the Screenwriter’s Association after talking to Laxmi Agarwal. He claims that all these events took place in 2014. He has now sued Meghna Gulzar, Deepika Padukone and the makers of Chhapaak for the same.

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In a press conference, Rakesh Bharti mentioned how back in 2014 he met Parth Arora from Fox at the Goa Film festival. He also said that they discussed the script, and registered it under the title of Black Day back then. Rakesh also mentioned how Parth Arora then introduced him to Rukmani Sen (content head at Fox), and they were in touch for a long time. Rakesh Bharti also shed light on how Rukmani Sen asked him to get a big name on board for the story project. 

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Speaking to Republic, Rakesh Bharti explained, "First I came in contact with Kangana, through the help of her sister Rangoli, and she refused the idea after 8 months saying Rangoli is an acid attack survivor. Thus I would get emotional while playing Laxmi's role on-screen. Then I asked Anushka Sharma and Yash Raj Films, but she was busy for two years there. I then approached Shraddha Kapoor via Shakti Kapoor, but Shakti Kapoor did not want Shraddha to play this role."

He said that he had also approached Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. "Then I also asked Priyanka Chopra to star in my film, but she opted out of it saying I can produce the film but not star in it, due to my international commitments. Finally, I also approached Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. However, she seemed less interested in the idea, and opted out of the same," added  Rakesh Bharti.

Rakesh Bharti also said that in 2017, he approached the Chhapaak director Meghna Gulzar and asked her how could she make a film on the subject that was already registered. He also revealed that he mentioned how they could collaborate on the project. Bharti's son Abhinav was going to produce the film, but things did not go as planned by the writer.

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On the other hand, Meghna Gulzar and the makers of Chhapaak are in denial of Rakesh Bharti’s claims. Meghna Gulzar told how she thinks Deepika Padukone was the perfect fit to portray Laxmi Agarwal on-screen. Thus, the allegations made by Rakesh Bharti only seem to showcase his end of the story.

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