Deepika Padukone’s first look as an acid attack survivor and activist in her next film Chhapaak is out. The project is helmed by Meghna Gulzar, who is collaborating with Deepika for the first time. Deepika’s character is called Malti and the film is based on the inspiring, real-life story of Laxmi Agarwal.
Laxmi survived an acid attack at the age of 15. She was attacked by a man and his two friends because she refused to marry the former. Since the incident, she has been campaigning against acid violence and the sale of acid. She founded an organisation called Stop Sale Acid to achieve this goal.
Laxmi Agarwal was bestowed with the 2014 International Women of Courage award by the then US First Lady Michelle Obama.
The shooting of Chhapaak begins today in Delhi. The film is jointly being produced by Fox Star Studios, Deepika Padukone’s own KA Entertainment and Meghna Gulzar’s Mriga Films.
Barring a guest appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero, Chhapaak will mark Deepika Padukone’s return to the big screen after early 2018’s Padmaavat.
Meghna Gulzar’s last film Raazi, which starred Alia Bhatt, was a critical and commercial success. It has also dominated the awards season, even nabbing the best film trophy at the recent Filmfare Awards.
Chhapaak is slated to release on January 10, 2020.
