A moment is all it took- Laxmi Agarwal’s life changed forever after she was attacked in 2005. While on her way to a bookshop in Khan Market, Delhi, she was attacked by 32-year-old Naeem Khan, a stalker who wanted to marry her. Along with his companion, Naeem threw a bottle of beer filled with acid on her face for rejecting his proposal. After the attack, Laxmi battled for life. She had to undergo multiple surgeries, but more critically, overcome the psychological scars that came with the hate crime. But, in the midst of all that, she started a campaign against the sale of acid in India.
Her indomitable spirit inspired filmmaker Meghna Gulzar to tell the world this survivor’s life story through a film. Titled Chhapaak, the movie is now slated to release on January 10 with Deepika Padukone playing the role of the acid attack survivor. The trailer of the movie is out and it has given us goosebumps. Watch it below.
2:19 Minutes Of Grim Reality
Starting with protests by masses, demanding justice for Malti, the trailer takes us through the traumatic journey of Malti (Deepika’s character in the film). The trailer then goes on to show how she overcame her ordeals with support from family and friends. By the end of the trailer, we see a Malti who is confident and ready to propagate the idea of self-love. And then we see a brave, feisty Malti who shows how she won her battle against the hate crime. The movie “makes an attempt to understand the on-ground consequences of surviving an acid attack in India.” Here are seven dialogues from the trailer that prove exactly that:
1. “Naak nahi hai, kaan nahi hain, jhumke kahan latkaungi,” says a devastated Malti after the acid attack. In this scene, she is seen packing all her jewellery and dumping it aside and this is her response to her mom asking why she is packing it all up.
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2. “Ab bahar aaegi, ladna hai?” asks Malti’s lawyer and the braveheart nods with a yes.
3. “Sessions court ke baad High Court, uske baad Supreme Court. Bohat saal chalne wala hai ye case. Shor ki aadat daal lo.” This is a dialogue by Malti’s lawyer, a woman, who is trying to counsel her to be brave and face all the reactions that come her way. While the dialogue runs in the background audio, one can also see a kid screaming out of scare as he sees Malti’s acid- attacked face.
4. “Attack unhi ladkiyo pe hua jo ya to padhna chahti thi ya badhna chahti thi,” says Malti’s counsel in the court. The dialogue itself depicts the helplessness of the gender and introduces us to the reality that still exists.
5. “Kitna achcha hota agar acid bikta hi nahi, milta hi nahi to phikta bhi nahi”. This simple yet gripping dialogue by Malti says it all. We also see her leading a campaign in the trailer, to limit and reduce the sale of acid.
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6. Amol (being played by Vikrant Massey), the one helping Malti fight for her right is heard asking her, “Abhi bohat ladayi baaki hai, tum itni khush dikhogi to kaise chalega?” Malti, who has started to love herself again says, “Ab khush hoon to kya karu?”. We are in awe!
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7. And the last dialogue of the trailer- “Unhone meri soorat badli hai, mera mann nahi”. This one left us speechless.
Even Deepika Broke Down At Trailer Launch
An emotional Deepika couldn’t stop her tears at the trailer launch today. She was heard saying that she couldn’t think of anything to describe the movie or its subject. Earlier, in interviews, Deepika has said that the character she played in this movie would stay with her forever.
Talking about her film, Deepika Padukone earlier told news agency IANS: “It’s a very important film and I feel that the story which we are showcasing in our film needs to be told.” For those who don’t know, Chhapaak marks Deepika’s first film after her wedding to Ranveer Singh.
Praise Pours In For ‘Chhapaak’
It would have been easy to make this one melodramatic and dark, instead, the makers decided to focus on the unbridled zest for life in a young girl. Kudos on handling such sensitive issue with so much maturity! #AbLadnaHaihttps://t.co/PfsiUNg1yk#ChhapaakTrailer #HumanRightsDay
— Binda Dey (@bindadey) December 10, 2019
Very nice to hear Deepika and the team will be donating 50% of the profits to acid attack victims. Finally a team which is not capatalising on the plight of people to make money. 👏🏻 #Chhapaak
— Hipster (@Hipsterrrific) December 10, 2019
250-300 acid attack cases are reported in India, every single year. This is a film of utmost importance. Please watch Chhapaak at the cinemas on January 10th, 2020.
Starring – Deepika Padukone & Vikrant Massey
Directed by – Meghna Gulzar#ChhapaakTrailer #AbLadnaHai pic.twitter.com/sUJ52orBAy— pri (@filmesthete) December 10, 2019
THERE'S FAITH THAT SHE WON'T DISAPPOINT AND SHE DOESN'T#ChhapaakTrailer pic.twitter.com/wBTCrP577y
— .tєα pσt (@__doldrums_) December 10, 2019
THIS ONE PARTICULAR SCENE IS SO POWERFUL
the child screamed and the she freaked out for a secIT WAS SO NATURAL SO FLAWLESS
DEEPIKA PADUKONE YOU ARE WINNING THIS#ChhapaakTrailer pic.twitter.com/41vIOJpHcr— .tєα pσt (@__doldrums_) December 10, 2019
The movie also stars Vikrant Massey who is essaying the role of Amol, who helps Malti fight back. We certainly can’t wait to see this movie that shows the hard-hitting reality of scourge of acid attacks in our country. We salute the spirit of Laxmi Agarwal, a survivor who refused to live as an outcast.
Featured Image: Instagram
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