Chhapaak is a film based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. It stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role while Vikrant Massey plays a crucial supporting role. The film is directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Fox Star Studios in association with Meghna Gulzar and Deepika Padukone.
Deepika Padukone plays Malti, whose life turns upside down when a man named Bashir Shaikh (a) Babbu attacks her with acid after she doesn't reciprocate his romantic advances. What follows is a sensitive and accurate depiction of the life of an acid attack survivor. The film mainly banks on Deepika Padukone's spectacular performance, but Meghna Gulzar's writing is not inferior in any way. At no point does she resort to sympathy and shows the survivor in a humanized way.
On the other side, we have Vikrant Massey playing the role of Amol, who runs an NGO called Chhapaak to empower acid attack survivors. The way his character is written certainly deserves a special mention. There is a scene where a group of survivors celebrate after achieving a small milestone. Amol asks them to stop, saying the battle against gender-based violence isn't over yet. Malti then tells him that "You're not the one attacked by acid. It's me and these women. We have to decide when to celebrate." From that scene onwards, he stops taking decisions on behalf of the women and stands behind them as an ally.
Such gems are spread throughout the film, and these tiny, subtle moments sends a strong message to society. The film's issues are mainly with the screenplay. A film like Uyare, which was also about an acid attack survivor, primarily worked because we could see how the lead character started accepting herself. In Chhapaak, the transformation isn't clear because of the non-linear screenplay that keeps moving back and forth. The intention of the maker is right, but the desired effect is slightly diluted.
Nevertheless, the film is clean and focused, and there are no subplots as such. The pace is slow, but then that's what a film of this kind needs. The two-hour-long runtime makes sure that the film doesn't tire you, but a longer duration wouldn't have been bad. Take the scene where Malti looks at her face in the mirror for the first time after she's attacked. It's a crucial scene and had to sustain for a few extra seconds, but the film immediately cuts to another scene. This is one film where those extra minutes would have created a deeper impact.
On the technical side, the cinematography by Malay Prakash is stunning. He treats the frames with a lot of care and at no point do you feel uneasy. Shankar Ehsaan Loy's background score supports the film's needs but the Title Track song works even better. It's almost like the film's message is completely summarized into a five-minute song. Chhapaak is crafted with a lot of dignity, and Meghna Gulzar weaves her magic again.