Meghna Gulzar rallies behind acid attack survivors; leading lady Deepika Padukone reveals why she was nervous to have Laxmi Agarwal see her look for the first time
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 11, 2019)

Deepika Padukone launched the trailer of her debut production, Chhapaak, in which she also plays the lead, with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes. She took a while to gather her thoughts after the unveiling—according to director Meghna Gulzar, it was the first time the actress had watched the trailer and was visibly overwhelmed.

Later, Meghna said that it felt right to have the trailer of Chhapaak, which is based on real-life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal and has Deepika essaying the protagonist, unveiled on International Human Rights Day. Her leading lady clarified that the film “is not about the incident that took place but the protagonist’s triumph over it”. When a scribe asked if she felt scared after looking at her prosthetic look in the film, Deepika and Meghna interjected to say that fear is the wrong word to use in this context. “I felt like myself (while in prosthetics). Nothing changed and that’s when I found my character,” Deepika shared.

She went on to reveal that she was the most nervous when Laxmi came to see her look for the first time. “But, she felt like she was looking at herself in the mirror. And there is no better validation for an actor than that,” informed the actress, defining Laxmi as entertaining, engaging and unique but not a “bechari”. The actress also revealed that she let go of her character after wrap-up in a rather unique way. “I asked Meghna to get an extra prosthetic face made. On the last day, I burnt it and stayed till it turned to ashes,” she said.

About her experience of working with acid attack survivors, Meghna asserted that “they don’t see themselves as victims and don’t want our sympathy.” She added that her film also features four real-life survivors in full-fledged roles.

The filmmaker also requested that her new project not be “put in the mould of women-centric films. I hope my film says more than a women-oriented story.” The event was not without some light moments. When Vikrant Massey, who plays Deepika’s love interest, was asked if he was as quick as Deepika to come on board, Meghna joked, “No, he threw tantrums, acted pricey and made me chase him.” At one point, Deepika diverted the attention towards Govind Singh Sandhu, Meghna’s husband who is also a producer on the film, saying, “I think he is the best thing that happened to Meghna.”

Deepika seemed more upbeat on her way out. “Kitna chillate ho yaar, pyaar se bolo na,” she urged the paparazzi, and left after posing for a group picture with them.