(Starring Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey, Music : Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, Directed by Meghna Gulzar)
‘Koi chehra mita ke, Aur aankh se hata ke, Chand chheentein udaa ke jo gaya…Chhapaak se pehchaan le gaya,’ as Arijit Singh’s piercing voice plays in the background, we see Malti (Deepika Padukone) wincing and screaming in pain after being attacked with acid, until a man rushes to her aid and pours a bottle of water over her. This gut-wrenching scene is enough to make one understand how a single ‘splash’ can destroy one’s life.
The trials and triumphs of Malti, an acid attack survivor. from the investigation of the attack to the court proceedings, the medical treatment to the emotional healing. Chhapaak is the story of the un-quashable human spirit. Based on the trials and tribulations of an acid attack survivor and crusader Laxmi Agarwal, Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak majorly revolves around the aftermath of this brutal hate crime. The director sensitively handles this subject and makes us empathize with acid-attack survivors. She chooses to make the film a journey about grit and hope instead of reducing it to a sob story.
The win for Chhapaak lies in its crisp narrative, backed by some solid performances by each one of the cast. Leading this talented pack is Deepika Padukone, who let go of her pretty face for this film and bites hard into Malti and makes you sit up and squirm with her, scream with her when she first sees her new face. As she looks at the mirror and tries inserting a jhumka through her earlobe, and then realises the acid has taken even that away, you hear her heart breaking. You realise what half a Rs-30 bottle of acid does.
Deepika brings a quiet dignity to the role. She doesn’t merely apply the prosthetic to her face, she slips under it to become the character. In one of the scenes in the film, Deepika Padukone’s Malti quips, “Unhone meri surat badli hai, mera mann nahi” and it makes you realize the importance of standing confident and undeterred even in the darkest phase of life.
I’m going with three and a half out of five for Chhapaak. Watch it for the sheer sincerity of its makers.