Fact Check: 'Chhapaak' trends on Twitter- and no its screen villain is neither 'Nadeem' nor 'Rajesh'
New Delhi, Jan 8: A day after Deepika Padukone visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with students who had been attacked, her film "Chhapaak" made another splash on Wednesday over the name of its antagonist.
While Deepika was the focus of many a discussion on social media and beyond for showing up at a public meeting in the university, the film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, was also making news for quite another reason.
In what could well be a storm in a 'Twitter cup', "Nadeem Khan" and "Rajesh" began trending on the microblogging site after a magazine article claimed the name of the antagonist had been changed. By 4 pm, 'Nadeem Khan' clocked close to 60,000 tweets and 'Rajesh' close behind with 50,000.
In 2005, Laxmi was disfigured for life when a man called Nadeem Khan and three others allegedly hurled acid at her in Delhi's upscale Khan Market.
In the film based on her life, the narrative remains the same but the names have been changed. So, Laxmi is 'Malti' Agarwal and Nadeem becomes 'Babboo' aka 'Bashir Khan'.
On Wednesday, Swarajya magazine wrote an article headlined, "The Ways Of Bollywood: In Deepika Padukone-Starrer Chhapaak, Acid Attacker Naeem Khan Becomes Rajesh'."
"As part of a backlash against Padukone's JNU 'meet and greet', social media users researched the names of the characters involved in the movie Chhapaak and conspicuously found the name of main perpetrator Naeem Khan absent," the article alleged.
But in the Meghna Gulzar directed film, there is no mention of any Nadeem or Naeem Khan. Moreover, Rajesh is the name of Malti's boyfriend.
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo jumped into the controversy, saying it was another example of "absolute hypocrisy".
"...When you say all characters are fictitious and don't have any resemblance with living beings and all of that, this is absolute hypocrisy. When you change the name which also changes the religion, it has been done very deliberately," Supriyo told a TV channel when asked to comment on the controversy.
South Delhi BJP MP Ramesh Biduri also called for a boycott of the movie.
With Deepika grabbing attention by going to JNU, many appreciated her 'silent solidarity' but others criticised her for "supporting the Leftists" and said it was a promotional stunt ahead of the release.
"#Boycott Chhapaak" was trending on Twitter as was "#ISupportDeepika".
#Chhapaak trends on Twitter - and no its screen villain is neither 'Nadeem' nor 'Rajesh'.
— Radhika Sharma (@KhayalaBibi) January 8, 2020
Unlike the #FakeNews peddlers, I was fortunate to watch a special screening of the film last evening.
Here goes, my report for @PTI_News. https://t.co/HhNIEjRDya
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
K'taka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar counters PM's criticism, highlights state's 10.2 per cent GDP growth
Bengaluru, Nov 2: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising Congress over poll promises, citing data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
He said that the state’s GDP growth for 2023-24 is 10.2 per cent, surpassing the national average of 8.2 per cent.
In a post on 'X', Modi on Friday said that in Karnataka, Congress is more focused on intra-party politics and “loot” than delivering on development, even planning to roll back existing schemes.
Sharing Modi’s post, Shivakumar responded, citing MoSPI data: "Karnataka’s GSDP growth for 2023-24 is 10.2 per cent, surpassing the national average of 8.2 per cent."
ALSO READ: CM Siddaramaiah asks PM Modi to look at BJP Karnataka's 'disastrous legacy'
"These are facts, backed by figures, supported by credible sources. The question is: do these facts even reach the Union government, or do they miss those who formulate tweets for the highest offices at the Centre?" he posted on 'X'.
Meanwhile, Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised PM Modi, alleging he was “ill-informed” and relying on briefings from his social media team rather than the finance minister.
Kharge noted that the National Statistical Estimates had initially projected Karnataka’s growth at 4 per cent, later revised to 13.1 per cent. "Despite providing guarantees and facing severe drought, we’ve managed to grow exponentially," he told reporters here.
As per the data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI),Karnataka's GSDP growth for 2023-24 is 10.2% surpassing the national average of 8.2%.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) November 2, 2024
Now,
💡 These are facts.
💡 These facts are backed by figures.
💡 These figures are supported by credible… https://t.co/871XvX7Y3q
