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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