Chhapaak Review: An Insight Into The Lives We May Never Be Able To Fully Understand

Deepika Padukone as Malti in the film.

Once the movie ended, my cousin turned to me and said, “Wow! Deepika did a really good job. Really brave of her to do this role. Couldn’t even tell it was her.”

You would think that for someone who lost her train of thoughts while looking into Deepika Padukone’s eyes would agree with that. What my cousin said wasn’t just an isolated opinion, it was a common comment/compliment that floated around when the trailer released. One can’t deny that when you hear “Deepika Padukone” you instantly think of her in regal avatars & the epitome of beauty. But for me, what was brave wasn’t the fact that she was void of all “glamour” for this role. It was the fact that not only did she decide to be a part of this film but also produce (her first production!!) this film. MWomen making films and backing films about women is how I want to start this decade & I thank Deepika & Meghna for making this possible.

Chhapaak is a film that I have anticipated for over 2 years. Welcome back, DP 🥰

It is a film about a teenage girl who gets acid thrown on her by an older man and how she deals with the case and her life after that. It is based on a real life survivor Laxmi Agrawal.

2018 was the last we saw Deepika Padukone on screen. Interestingly, Chhapaak & Uyare’s film announcements came pretty close to each other and I was curious to know if they had any similarity in terms of content. I can reassure you that other than the fact that it’s about acid attack survivors, there really very little else that is similar.

Chhapaak’s strength lies in Malti’s (played by Deepika Padukone) characterisation. The nuances in the dialogues and Padukone’s execution really made some scenes hit you in the gut. Malti is first of all a girl - just like any girl out there! That is what kills you slowly throughout the film. In this scene post the attack where she says” I have no nose or ears, how will I wear earrings?” is one of my favourite lines.

It’s my favourite because it gutted me when I first saw it in the trailer. A simple desire of wanting to wear an earring is robbed away from her. Like I mentioned before, Malti is after all, one of us.

Padukone’s portrayal of Malti at different stages of her life is worthy of praise too. There is this scene post the attack where Malti’s mum comes to her room to wake her up. Malti shrugs. That shrug was so characteristic of that age she portrayed in the film. I’m not sure how to describe it without giving away spoilers but when you watch it you would understand. It was too real.

Speaking of things being “too real”, I must credit Clover Wootton (Make Up Artist) for the uncanny resemblance that Malti had with Laxmi Agrawal (the woman this film is based on). What was painful to watch was the scenes after the attack. Meghna and team hold your hands and bring you through each stage of the recovery process of acid attack survivors without making it seem rosy or palatable.

Other than Padukone, Malti’s Lawyer played by Madhurjeet Sarghi was my favourite performance in the film. Her interactions with Malti and also her own family were some of my favourite scenes in the movie.

The film’s music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy undoubtedly elevated the film. Meghna uses the songs at the most crucial moments and the lyrics complement the emotions of the scenes so well. My favourite song in the album has to be the Chhapaak Title Track!

With all that said, there were some parts of the film that I wish were better. The screenplay felt a little messy for me - especially in the second half. Amol (played by Vikrant Massey) and Malti had some adorable moments in the film but I can’t really pinpoint one thing - something felt amiss. If you’ve watched the film, I would love to discuss it with you and figure out what is this I’m missing out on.

So all I can say is, please go watch Chhapaak. It’s a film from the heart with a plea for the world to be a better place. Meghna does a fabulous job giving the audience an insight to the kinds of acid attacks that happen in India and the legal issues associated with incriminating the offenders. No matter how many times I watch this or even Uyare, I seethe with anger throughout the film & I think you might want to find out what makes me so angry that I’m fuming for 120 minutes continuously. Please stay till the credits. Thanks 🙂