Will Deepika Padukone's 'Chhapaak' follow the likes of 'Padmaavat', 'Dabangg 3' and others to open big at the box office after braving protest?

Deepika Padukone's most awaited film of the year 'Chhapaak' is all set to release on Friday but the film has been dragged into several controversies just prior to its release. The 34-year-old actress, who headed to Delhi for the film's promotion after celebrating her birthday in Lucknow with acid attack survivors, joined the student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University to express solidarity on Tuesday evening.

While her actions were praised by several other B-town celebrities, a section of people on social media expressed their anguish and started requesting others as well to boycott 'Chhapaak'. Well, if that wasn't enough then the name of the acid attacker being changed in the film also courted more trouble for the film. While this issue has been resolved now, Deepika 'Chhapaak' has been mired into another controversy as Laxmi Agarwal’s lawyer to take legal action against the makers for not giving her any credit in 'Chhapaak'.

While 'Chhapaak' isn't the first film to face protests right before its release, here is a list of Bollywood films which managed to excel at the box office despite braving controversies.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat' which starred Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor had faced a lot of controversies not only before its release but even during the times the film was being shot. After facing a lot of criticism and courting several controversies, the periodic drama finally released in 2018 and turned out to be one of the biggest releases in India with Rs 282.28 crore in the domestic circuit.

Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha's recently released film 'Dabangg 3' ran into trouble when the song 'Hud Hud Dabangg' was released. The visuals of the song showcased sages shaking a leg with the Salman on the riverbank which hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus. The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti had even requested the CBFC to put the certification of the movie on halt. The movie's trailer too had grabbed a lot of attention as a shot showcased a few Shivlings covered with wooden planks that led to controversies as well. Despite all these controversies, the film had an amazing run at the box office and has already earned Rs 134.67 crore and looks adamant to reach the Rs 150 crore milestone in the domestic circuit.

Karan Johar's ambitious project 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' which starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma ran into trouble due to the presence of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. A political party had called for a ban on all Pakistani artistes working in India and as KJo's film starred the popular Pakistani actor many protests took a stance against the film. Despite all these controversies, the film managed to do good business at the box office as it collected a total of Rs 106.48 crore.

The successful trio of Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave the audience one of the most talked-about love stories in the history of Indian cinema 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela'. The film faced the ire of several groups for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and was even dragged into different courts over its content but the film released with a title change and won over the audience. The Jalandhar Police had even filed an FIR against director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and leading stars under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code. With a total collection of Rs 112.97 crore in the domestic circuit, Ranveer-Deepika's impeccable chemistry had won over the audience.