Who is Shakeela? Richa Chadha to play Malayalam adult star who made startling confessions

Bollywood actress Richa Chadha will reportedly play Shakeela, a 44-year-old Malayalam actress popular for her adult content movies in south India.

Indrajit Lankesh will direct the Bollywood film and it will look at her journey in the '90s, the time when Silk Smitha was at her best and Shakeela's biggest competition.

Shakeela: All you need to know 

1. Shakeela comes from a middle-class family. She has six siblings. On a show, she had said: "I was sacrificed to support my family."
2. "I entered the film industry when I was 22-23 years old as Silk Smitha's younger sister in Play Girls, a Tamil film."
3. She once said: "I was paid a lot for my roles and would have my dates booked for two years. A lot of people believed in me so much so that producers in Kerala have named their homes after me. Homes like Shakeela Palace and Shakeela Manzil are there."
4. Speaking about the struggles in her life, she shared, "I was just a piece of sex object for many males and no one tried to exploit my acting skills. I liked the company of girls than boys during boozing. After mother, my sister Noorjahan was the second worse thing happened in my life. She stole all my hard earned money."
5. The actress has adopted a transgender as daughter and has been living in Chennai with her.
6. In January 2018, she announced her 250th film, Seelavathi. Sai Ram Dasara is directing the flick.
7. Such was her stardom that even superstars like Mammootty and Mohan Lal had to think twice before releasing their films alongside Shakeela's.

Regarding Shakeela's biopic, a source informed Mid-Day: "When Richa was given the narration, she saw that it was a powerful role, and immediately gave her nod." Richa's spokesperson confirmed the news and said: "Shakeela's life makes for a great story to tell and will make for a great watch for the audience. The preparations will begin soon."