Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak a sensitive portrayal of an acid attack survivor

From scenes that make you uncomfortable to Malti's heart-wrenching screams, Meghna Gulzar's film is not an easy watch, and that's why you should watch it.

A still from the movie Chhapaak | Facebook: Deepika Padukone

Calling Chhapaak a hard-hitting film really doesn’t do it justice. It’s a movie that makes you uncomfortable in a visceral way.

Based on the true story of acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal, Chhapaak stars Deepika Padukone as Malti, on whom a man named Basheer Khan (Babbu) throws acid when she rejects his proposals. And it shows yet again why director Meghna Gulzar is such an important filmmaker of our time.

Apart from deliberately, though not melodramatically, making the audience uncomfortable, what she does best is to keep the focus of the plot away from the perpetrator, Babbu. Beyond the bare facts, the story doesn’t indulge in his back story or why he threw acid at Malti because that’s not important. This is solely Malti’s story, from not being able to wear earrings because of a burnt ear to fighting for the regulation of acid sales.

Through the course of the film, one is made to witness many aspects of her life. This isn’t just a story of pure success, it is punctuated with setbacks, which sets it apart from many other biopics. From Malti’s relentless job hunting to her simple desire to go party, Chhapaak delivers a well-rounded telling of a story that goes way beyond the ‘victimhood’ of acid attacks.

The film deals with the larger question of how women are ‘shown their place’ if they try to fight their societal standing and of the laws that pronounce the same sentence for acid throwing as for other hot fluids that are not as harmful. The notion of men trying to ‘erase’ a woman’s face is portrayed with sensitivity and gravity at the same time. Once you hear the splash of the acid on Malti’s face, the word ‘Chhapaak‘ (splash) becomes harder to ignore.

Deepika Padukone slips into Malti’s character with ease, while Vikrant Massey as Amol, a journalist-turned-activist, displays the right amount of anger and cynicism — often displaying an allergy to celebrating small victories. Thankfully, he doesn’t have a saviour complex.

Other important supporting acts include Malti’s lawyer, who props her up and reminds her to fight when she is down.

The editing, by Nitin Baid, could have been smoother — the oscillation between past and present ends up being confusing and jarring. But Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music fits well with the narrative of the story, and the prosthetic make-up is done well.

Chhapaak is a masterful portrayal of a strong woman who doesn’t always get what she wants but learns how to find a way around it. It will leave you shaken, and that is why you should watch it.