Chhapaak Review: A Brutally Honest Tale Of The Plight And Struggle Of The Acid Attack Survivors! 

It is not a hidden fact that Chhapaak is inspired by the motivational journey of Laxmi Aggarwal who was attacked in the year 2005 at the mere age of 15 by a 32-year-old man whose romantic advances she had rejected. Since then, she has been working tirelessly in several campaigns which aim to prohibit the heinous crime of acid attacks. Chhapaak attempts to bring her story to celluloid and also the Meghna Gulzar directorial does a hard hitting and surreal justice to it.  A still in the film shows Malti (Deepika Padukone) giving out a frightful shriek after watching her disfigured face and when a mother makes her child look away from Malti's face. These are the minute nuances which director Meghna Gulzar uses to establish the crux of Malti's plight. Like the film's title suggests, Chhapaak revolves around how the fate of a person can change for the worst just by the sound of a 'splash'. 

The plot depicts the plight and struggle of the 19-year-old Malti whose life changes overnight when she is attacked by acid by a jilted lover and his accomplice. What follows is some constant tribulations which are thrown into her path to justice. She finds herself uplifting the lives of several acid attack victims like her where she collaborates with Amol (Vikrant Massey), a fiery activist who is engaged in an unending struggling for the empowerment and betterment of the acid attack survivors. 

Meghna Gulzar has kept the message of the film resonating till the end. While the first half depicts Malti's plight and her battle for her justice, the second half builds up on her inspirational journey to empower the lives of several others like her as well as her budding relationship with Amol. The film's unfaltering  screenplay and the sharp storyline marks one of its main highlight other than the performances. The only part where the film fails is in establishing the interplay between the characters. There could have been a more honest conveyance of emotions between the characters. 

Talking about the performances, Deepika Padukone must have comprehended the magnitude of the character as there is not on moment where she feels detached from the role. Every emotion of Multi is immortalized in her performance. She further makes the scenes of Malti's pure innocence before she faced the attack even more endearing to witness. Vikrant Massey breathes life to Amol in the most endearing and passionate manner. Some of the most beautiful moments of the film revolve around Malti and Amol's camaraderie. Talking about the soundtrack, the title track of the film crooned by Arijit Singh adds the soul to the film.