The trailer of Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey-starrer Chhapaak is out, and the 2.19 minute-long sneak peek is filled with both heart-wrenching and inspiring moments. Deepika’s scream when she first looks at herself in the mirror post the attack send chills down your spine.
Deepika plays the role of Malti, inspired by the real-life Laxmi Agarwal, an acid attack survivor, who went on to speak for the rights of acid attack survivors in the country.
From the trailer it looks like the film’s director Meghna Gulzar’s intention is to make you feel discomfort as you witness the horrors of an acid attack survivor. But just not uncomfortable to a point where you can’t bear to look at the screen.
The trailer takes you through the whole gamut of emotions that Malti goes through - from the trauma and coming to terms with a disfigured face, to the social taboo, the investigation into the crime, and her fight for justice. Basically, exploring the medico-legal-social state of a acid attack survivor.
“Attack unhi ladkiyon pe hua jo ya to padhna chahti thi ya badhna chahti thi,” says a journalist in the trailer. How Meghna explores this as a gender-based crime is perhaps one of the most important aspects of Chhapaak.
Deepika is back on the big screen after a span of two years (Her last film, Padmaavat released in January 2018), and she couldn’t have made a better choice. This is Deepika’s first biopic and first contemporary social issue-based film, and it looks like she has sunk her teeth into this one.
The prosthetics and evolution in Malti’s look as she goes through corrective surgeries seems to be one of the better makeup jobs to come out of Bollywood in recent times.
Giving Deepika company in the film is actor Vikrant Massey as Amol, inspired from real life social activist, and later Malti’s partner, Alok Dixit.
Having previously made films on real life stories - Talvar and Raazi, it will be interesting to see how close Meghna stays to Laxmi’s original story.
Co-produced by Fox Star Studios, Deepika Padukone, Govind Singh Sandhu and Meghna Gulzar, Chhapaak releases in theatres on 10 January 2020.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)