The trailer for Richa Chadha-starrer Shakeela is out. Directed by Indrajit Lankesh, the film traces the journey of Shakeela Khan, a prominent southern star and softcore performer who rose to prominence in the 90s.

The trailer depicts Shakeela’s life from a young girl to becoming a controversial star. Pankaj Tripathi essays a flamboyant leading man who stars alongside Shakeela in her record-breaking films. “I did what I did openly,” Shakeela asserts in the trailer. “I never cheated anyone…. or forced them to see my films.”

Shakeela is set for release in theatres in five languages on December 25. The film also stars Ester Noronha, Rajeev Pillai and Sheeva Rana. 

Talking about the film, Inderjit Lankesh says, "Shakeela is truly a labor of love and commitment to show Shakeela’s story, which is iconic in so many ways. Her story is almost folklore today, but the truth is that so much happened to her while she soared to success from nothing and then came back to nothing again. I’m happy that our producers are releasing the film so widely, giving me the confidence that it’s a film that will appeal to the larger masses. To release in so many languages was important because that was the power of Shakeela."