Wishesh Magazine February 2020 Wishesh Magazine February 2020 | Page 136

EVIEW
BOLLYWOOD
Story :
Chhapaak
The life of a nineteen-year-old girl takes a turn when she is subjected to a horrific acid
attack. But she resolves to fight for justice and reclaim her life.
Analysis :
Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Chhapaak’ is inspired by the story of real life acid attack
survivor, Laxmi Agarwal, who has become a symbol of strength and inspiration
for many women. The film is a fictionalized account with Deepika Padukone
playing the central character Malti, who is attacked in broad daylight on the
streets of Delhi by a friend of the family, Bashir Khan aka Babbu and his
aide.
As the narrative chooses a non-linear route, we first meet Malti
when she is on a job hunt – consciously trying to move on from the
136 emotional scars that the heinous crime has left her with. For the
physical scars, she has to go through a number of complicated
surgeries. In fact, far from the dreams she nursed of being
a singer, her life is now an intersection of her work with an
NGO for acid victims, her multiple surgeries and her court
cases.
Final Word:
‘Chhapaak’ is not a film that lets you go easy,
just as one begins to settle in to think Malti has
managed to get better of her perpetrator, it
jolts you with a few grim, uncomfortable
reminders.
‘Chhaapak’ is a sensitive film with a
delicate, yet powerful, handling of a
heinous crime against women, and
an important story that needs to
be heard.
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