Chhapak: Film Review

Film Review

CHHAPAK

By Salonii Khemani


Released on 10th January 2020, Chapak had announced 2020 as a good year for

Bollywood, to say the least. Starring Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey, and

Madhurjeet Sarghi and directed by Meghna Gulzar, the movie focuses on a very fragile

issue that is faced by women in a society that is deeply intertwined with patriarchy. It’s a

movie that talks about the gory details of a heinous crime, and a story that needs to be

heard by everyone. The fact that the movie is based on a real-life incident is not a

surprise. The movie revolves around the real-life story of Laxmi Agarwal, an acid attack

survivor, who was attacked when she was only 15 years old.


The movie unwraps with a girl, casually singing and dancing to Sonu Nigam’s Kal Ho Na

Ho inside a servant quarter of a posh Delhi house, unaware and uncertain of what the

‘Kal’ holds for her. Malti, played by Padukone, falls on the street out of nowhere,

screaming and shouting. As she cries with unbearable pain, a stranger pours water over

her and calls the police once that doesn't relieve Malti of her pain. The police, on arrival,

take her to a hospital after she has had acid thrown at her by a man passing by on a

motorcycle. Ek ladki ke phone mein itne ladkon ke number kyun hai," says a policeman,

while the viewers sit uncomfortably in the theatres frowning at the evident sexism and

misogynistic behavior of the officer. The focus finally shifts to finding the attacker,

wherein Malti recovers and begins to accept herself while being affiliated with an NGO

that helps acid attack survivors like herself. Not being defeated, she engages in a job

hunt. During an interview, she says that job enrolment forms do not have a category for

acid attack survivors, beauty parlor mein kaam karne ke liye beauty ka hona zaruri hai,"

is what she hears every time she looks for a job.


To critically analyze the film, there are instances where it lost its pace. The relationship

between Malti and her brother has been left unexplored. There's no mention of her father

after a few scenes that let the viewers assume he has died.


However, Chhapaak, to say the least, has made its viewers feel the pain of an acid attack

survivor. Instances where Deepika shouts are her reflection in the mirror for the first time

after she has been attacked or when she's unable to wear an earring not only make one

feel helpless but knowing such things happen daily is heart-breaking. The movie soon

transforms into a courtroom drama where Malti fights her case relentlessly. Deepika

dwells deep into the character of Malti, making the viewers squirm and scream with her.

The movie ends with the court passing a law on the ban on selling acid. It's a movie about

trauma being transformed into triumph. With Gulzar doing justice to the kind of trauma


Laxmi, in her story, had gone through, and songs with Arijit Singh's voice make the

movie a teary-eyed, heart-wrenching fest.

It's a sensitive story and is not an easy watch. However, it's a story worth being told.

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