Chhapaak
Chhapaak is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by her as well as Deepika Padukone in collaboration with Fox Star Studios. Based on the life of Laxmi Agarwal, it stars Padukone as an acid attack survivor, alongside Vikrant Massey.
Chhapaak: Who is Laxmi Agarwal, the acid attack survivor Deepika Padukone is playing?
Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak, featuring Deepika Padukone as an acid attack survivor, goes on floors today. The actress took to social media this morning to share her look in the film, and netizens are lauding her for her incredible transformation and taking on such a powerful role.
Chhapaak, which is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 10, 2020, is inspired by the journey of Laxmi Agarwal, the acid attack survivor who has won hearts with her courage and indomitable spirit.
Born to a middle-class family in Delhi, fifteen-year-old Laxmi dreamed of becoming a singer someday. Naeem Khan, 32, wanted to marry her but she was not interested. He refused to take no for an answer and stalked her, but she continued to reject his advances.
In 2005, Laxmi was on her way to a bookshop in Khan Market, when she was accosted by Naeem, who attacked her with acid. She lay on the street, writhing in pain, until a taxi driver came forward and rushed her to the nearby Safdarjung hospital.
Laxmi recalled in an interview with Daily Mail, "I felt as if someone had set my whole body on fire. The skin was just coming off, it was like dripping, from my hands and from my face."
She had to undergo multiple surgeries and was in the hospital for three months. "There were no mirrors in the ward I was in. Every morning, the nurse would bring me a bowl of water to help me freshen up and I would try to catch my reflection in that water. I would only see glimpses of a bandaged face... When I first saw my face afterwards, I was devastated. I had no face to speak of," she told a news website
The horrific attack could not bring Laxmi down. In 2006, she filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court and sought a total ban on sale of acid. In 2013, the court ruled in favour of her plea, and imposed restrictions on the sale of acid. The same year, Laxmi also became a campaigner for Stop Acid Attacks, founded by Alok Dixit and Ashish Shukla.
As Laxmi became the voice of acid attack survivors, she was honoured by former First Lady Michelle Obama with the International Women of Courage Award. She was given the award for her courageous and selfless advocation for justice and human rights.
During her stint with Stop Acid Attacks, Laxmi and Alok fell in love. The couple decided not to get married and opted for a live-in relationship instead. "We are challenging the society by not getting married. We don’t want people to come to our wedding and comment on my looks," she said in an interview.
Soon after Laxmi and Alok's daughter Pihu was born, the couple went their separate ways due to differences. Laxmi was struggling to make ends meet and finding it difficult to find employment as well as housing.
In an interview with a leading publication last year, she said, "So many people offered me jobs on reading the news and I am very thankful to them. News have a very short shelf life and after some time, it holds no value. But I want the government to offer me a job as I have to support my mother as well as my daughter. I have to bring her up single-handedly."
Deepika Padukone will be playing an acid attack survivor, inspired by the life of Laxmi Agarwal, in Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak
Trust Deepika Padukone to make unusual choices. When she announced that she was turning producer and joining forces with director Meghna Gulzar (known for stellar movies such as Raazi and Talvar), we knew something special was brewing. In her next film (directed by Gulzar), Chhapaak, Deepika will play Malti, an acid attack survivor, and the plot is based on the real life story of Laxmi Agarwal.
The first poster of the movie is out and, thanks to prosthetics, the resemblance to Laxmi is uncanny.
