From the day Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak starring Deepika Padukone has been announced, moviegoers have been eagerly waiting for the film. Finally, the movie hits the screens on 10th January 2020. So, was the film worth a wait? Well, partly yes!
Chhapaak is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Meghna Gulzar has changed the names in the film, so Laxmi becomes Malti in the movie. Also, age has been changed here. Laxmi was 15 when she was attacked and here we have been shown that Malti is 19 when she was attacked. So, the story of the film revolves around Malti (Deepika), how she was attacked, her pain, her struggle, her fight, and her success.
While the story of Laxmi’s life is inspiring and emotional, writers Atika Chohan and Meghna Gulzar have failed to come up with an interesting screenplay for the film. The movie has its moments like the scenes where Malti struggles to get a job, the scene where the acid attack takes place, followed by the hospital sequence, and later when Malti sees her face for the first time post the attack. These scenes leave a mark; make us emotional, and even a bit uncomfortable. We do feel bad for Malti and the movie also successfully creates a fear of acid attack. But the screenplay could have been better.
Meghna Gulzar’s last directorial was Raazi and before that she helmed Talvar. Both the films were simply amazing and Meghna’s narration in Chhapaak is decent. But the slow-paced screenplay plays the villain here. The movie picks up wonderfully in the last 15-20 minutes and the last scene will also leave you shocked.
Talking about performances, Deepika Padukone has given her career’s best performance in Chhapaak. She is excellent in the film. 2020 has just kickstarted and Deepika has thrown her hat for the Best Actress award. Vikrant Massey as Amol is good in his part. The film also stars a few real-life acid attack survivors and it is good to see them confidently facing the camera.
Coming to music, the title track is damn good and you will leave the theatres humming it.
Overall, Chhapaak is a good film and it is a treat for Deepika Padukone’s fans. But the movie clearly had the potential to be better.
Ratings: 3/5
Watch the trailer here…
