Chhapaak Review

Chhapaak Review: Deepika Padukone gives her best in the hard-hitting film

The Premise

After a brilliant Talvar and Raazi , director Meghna Gulzar returned with Chhapaak , a story of an acid attack survivor. We see various stages of the protagonist Malti's journey after acid was thrown  upon her face. 

The story starts seven years after the acid attack incident took place where Malti is desperately looking for a job. Her dad has passed out and her brother Rohit is suffering from a fatal disease. She gets a job at an NGO, Chhaya, led by Amol Dwivedi (Vikrant Massey).

Amol has left his previous job as a journalist and now runs an NGO that helps acid-attack survivors with their hospitalization and counselling for the families and the survivors themselves. They also spread awareness against the social evil. With the NGO, she gets the opportunity to support others like her. 

Malti becomes the face of public-interest limitation (PIL) against the sale of acid in India; it goes all the way to the Supreme Court. On the other hand, she  with the help of her lawear Archana Bajaj ( Madhurjeet Sarghi) gets ready for the upcoming long legal battle against her attacker, Babbu aka Bashir, as the case goes from the sessions court to the high court.

Malti, who once used to cover her face with a dupatta when she stepped outside of her home, hosting a show on television. The film unveiled Malti's journey layer by layer and we get to see Malti's past, the crucial moment of attack, the court weaved in the narrative. Deepika got into the skin of her character. 

Cast

Her  presence in the film  is remarkably understated . There is no hint of unnecessary melodrama in her portrayal of Malti. The makers have done an excellent job by staying away from giving the lead a long     monologue, keeping things subtle and significant staying away from tried and tested formulas.  

Vikrant Massey has perfectly complimented Deepika's performance in the movie. He plays Malti's boss, a friend, and love interest. Vikrant looks genuine as a social activist and his breezy chemistry with DP shines in the lighter moments of the film. Other characters of the film are not well worked out thus lacks the charm. 

Direction

Meghna Gulzar's direction is top-notch . She presents the horrors of the crime, the despair of the victim  without any sugarcoating. We could see through a person's world getting distorted with a splash - ' Chhapaak ' of acid. 

Music & Others

Nitin Baid's editing makes the scene one of the most hard-hitting sequences of Bollywood cinema. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's music and Gulzar's heart-wrenching lyrics must get a special mention.  Chhapaak 's climax is the most powerful and impactful one. We are again reminded that the numbers of the acid attack victims - survivors are growing.  

Finally,

Chhapaak is an unabashed and honest narration of the struggle of an acid attack survivor. Meghna Gulzar's film is not for the faint-hearted people. You need to be prepared to face the grotesque truth of society. Malti inspired by Laxmi Agarwal is not a survivor but a true warrior. It had one work to make the audience see the horrific impact on the victims, empathize with the survivors and made us the part of their journey. The film passes with  flying mark.

Positives

• Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey's Performances 
• Meghna Gulzar's direction
• Solid and straightforward script
• hard-hitting execution
• Editing
• Music

Negatives 

• No strong side characters

Pycker Rating: 3.5