New Delhi: It is heartening to see the audience is ready to accept a film like Chhapaak, actor Deepika Padukone said Tuesday. She also asserted that she is proud to be associated with the film which is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the film features Deepika as the young woman ‘Malti’ who struggles to rebuild and fight back her life after a man throws acid on her face on a street.
The movie, also starring actor Vikrant Massey, showcases Laxmi’s (Malti) journey in the time after her attack spanning 10 years, a significant part of the story being the game-changing PIL in the Supreme Court which inspired the amendment on acid laws in 2013.
The 34-year-old actor said Chhapaak, which releases Friday, was the toughest film she ever worked on in her career.
“We’ve made the film with a lot of honesty and sincerity, and I would like to believe it comes through. It’s been the toughest journey for me as an actor. I think now we’re slowly inching towards this little baby of ours going into the world,” Deepika, who has turned producer with the film, said at a special screening of the movie hosted for the National Commission for Women (NCW)
“But it’s a film nonetheless we are very proud of. The fact that we attempted making it, the fact that the audience is ready for a film like this, that a director like Meghna Gulzar thinks of a film like this makes it very special. As an actor and as a human being I’ve been hugely impacted by this story of acid attack survivors, Laxmi in particular, I hope we’ve been able to do justice to her incredible story,” added Deepika.
Meghna said the team has a ‘personal and internal’ bond with the film and is hoping that the audience appreciates their effort.
“Whatever little we can do with your support to take this conversation forward is all what we want for a better society, for all of us,” the filmmaker said.
Vikrant added, “I hope we can help each other out for the common cause we are standing for.”
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma praised the cast and crew for making a ‘beautiful’ film on a ‘serious subject’ like acid attack violence.
PNN & Agencies