Bollywood star Deepika Padukone resigns from MAMI board

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has resigned from her post of chairperson of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI), a popular annual film festival. Her colleague and top Bollywood producer Karan Johar had earlier resigned from MAMI.

The actress who took over as its chairman in 2019 claimed her ‘slate of work’ did not give her the liberty to focus on her job at the festival, but described her stint as an ‘enriching experience’.

“Being on the board of MAMI and serving as chairperson has been a deeply enriching experience. As an artist, it was invigorating to bring together cinema and talent from all over the world to Mumbai, my second home. I have come to realise however, that with my current slate of work, I will be unable to give MAMI the undivided focus and attention it requires. I depart knowing that MAMI is in the best hands possible and that my bond and connection with the academy is one that will last a lifetime,” wrote Padukone.

MAMI, whose board of trustees include Anurag Kashyap and Farhan Akhtar, was a showcase for independent cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood and international movies. It was chaired by director Kiran Rao and actor Anupam Kher.

On the work front, Padukone will be seen in Ranveer Singh’s sports biopic ‘83’. She is currently shooting for Shakun Batra’s untitled project, which also stars Ananya Pandey and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Recently, she also announced 'The Intern’s' official Hindi remake in which she will star opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The two had earlier worked in 'Piku'.