Vikrant Massey narrates how the director Meghna Gulzar signed him on for Chhapaak on the condition that he would gain 11 kilos in two months
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 27, 2019)

Vikrant Massey has lived what many may consider the Utopian life while shooting for his upcoming film, Chhapaak — the actor romanced Deepika Padukone on screen and gorged on eight gulab jamuns a day. "Meghna [Gulzar, director] wanted me on board. But the only apprehension she had was whether I would be able to put on 11 kilos in two-and-a-half months. I was lean whereas Alok [Dixit, Laxmi Agarwal's partner] is a bigger guy," explains Massey, who counts the drama among his most defining projects.

Standing lithe at 64 kilos, the actor had the arduous task of reaching a body weight of 75 kilos before the project went on floors. "Meghna didn't want me to bulk up. I needed to have a paunch like a regular man. So, I started an unhealthy diet of samosas and junk food. Every two-and-a-half hours, I had to eat something, even when I wasn't hungry. When I first saw myself with a paunch, I felt good. Meghna ji was relieved that the pairing looked more authentic." For Massey, the final word of appreciation came from Dixit. "Alok said, 'You make me look handsome.'"

Bringing Laxmi's story in Chhapaak, director Meghna Gulzar applauds Deepika Padukone for shunning her good looks to play acid attack survivor
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 21, 2019)

It is difficult to follow up the masterfully told Raazi with an equally compelling story. But Meghna Gulzar, with her instinct to find stories where others don't dare to look, stepped up with a braver offering. The idea behind making Chhapaak was fairly simple, she explains. "The frequency of this violent act [acid attack] is high, but the awareness around it is abysmally low. The dialogue around this has to be brought into public consciousness."

The director, who is bringing acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal's story to celluloid, says the most integral step was to gain her muse's trust. "I wanted to make her story the anchor as it was a landmark case," she says. After all, it was Agarwal's petition that led the apex court to regulate the sale of acid. "It took me over a month to reach her. She was an introvert. I met Alok [Dixit, husband] before meeting her. During our first meeting, they were apprehensive about how we would treat the story. They didn't want it to be a scandalous thriller. It took me some time to win her faith. When we got them to Mumbai, they finally opened up."

Quiz her if wooing a mainstream Bollywood star was easy, and Gulzar says she was fortunate to find an artiste who understood her vision, in Padukone. "Deepika was the first actor we met, and she said yes in 10 minutes." Mention to her that Padukone's look has a heart-wrenching impact, and she says, "We didn't want to make her look like Laxmi. The idea was to show how Deepika's face would look, God forbid, had it been damaged by acid. It was spooky how we nailed the look during our first session with prosthetics. That day, we knew we had our Malti."

As Chhapaak rolls next month, director Meghna Gulzar charts Deepika Padukone's prep to slip into the role of acid attack survivor
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 25, 2019)

It's easy to be burdened by the weight of expectations that rest on Chhapaak — it not only has director Meghna Gulzar coming fresh off the success of the much-acclaimed Raazi (2018), but also sees Deepika Padukone face the camera after over a year. Unperturbed by the external pressures, the director says her sole concern is to be honest to acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal's story. Before the drama goes on floors in the third week of March, Gulzar has already begun readings with her cast.

"First, I read individually with each character, then I start pairing them as their combination would appear in the movie. Two to three weeks before the shoot, I will have a cast and crew reading where the entire film will be read. This will also include the technicians so that everybody can hear and see the movie before we roll," says Gulzar, who has co-written the script with Atika Chohan.

While Padukone plays the acid attack survivor, Vikrant Massey's character is modelled on Agarwal's partner Alok Dixit who is the founder of Stop Acid Attacks campaign. "I will facilitate the meeting between the four before we start shooting," says the director, before heaping praise on her leads for gaining complete understanding of their parts. "Vikrant is more external and expressive. In comparison, Deepika's process is far more internalised. With Vikrant, I can hear and see [his emotions] and with Deepika, I can feel them. We will not have too many readings because we want to keep a certain level of spontaneity for the floor."

She reveals that the team has already undergone look tests. Given the nature of the subject, Gulzar admits that prepping for the film has been an emotional journey for Padukone and her. "I don't know Deepika long enough to say this, but I feel that we are similar people. So, I know that the subject affects her. When I met her for the first time for the narration, we both had teared up. Then we quickly composed ourselves and I went on to give her the entire narration. But now, like me, she is also in the execution mode. So, she has kept the emotions at a distance and is processing the story differently."

Director Meghna Gulzar, who is co-producing the film; informs that it will roll in March and will be shot primarily in Mumbai and Delhi
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 19, 2018)

Meghna Gulzar is currently on a recce in Delhi for her next directorial, Chhapaak, the traumatic and inspiring true story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal (below; left). The film is expected to go on the floors in the third week of March and will be primarily shot in Mumbai and Delhi. As Mirror (October 5) had earlier reported, Deepika Padukone not only plays the protagonist, but is also co-producing the film with Meghna. Now, we have learnt that Vikrant Massey has been roped in opposite her, his character modelled on Laxmi’s partner Alok Dixit.

“The cast is slowly coming together. Vikrant is somebody I’ve wanted to work with since Raazi, after seeing him in A Death In The Gunj. In the film he plays a North Indian boy who used to be a professional before he decided to become an actor, then, started a campaign against acid violence which is how he came to meet Laxmi in real life. I speak for both Deepika and myself when I say that we are both really excited to have Vikrant play this part,” Meghna says.

On the subject of the film’s title, she says that they were toying with two—Gandhak, the Hindi word for sulphuric acid, and Chhapaak, the sound of a splash. “The latter spoke to me strongly and resonated with everyone I bounced it off as it conveys that the film is about acid violence almost immediately and quite effortlessly,” avers the filmmaker.

She goes on to reveal that it was Vishal Bhardwaj who came up with the idea of making Talvar and threw the project at her. “I thank my stars that I had the presence of mind to say ‘yes’. Raazi again was a story that picked me. Two different producers wanted me to adapt the novel on screen, Calling Sehmat, so I thought I needed to tell it. But after Talvar I was looking to create my own content and while researching something else, I came across different stories of acid attack survivors. Laxmi’s stood out because of how important it has been in terms of its social and legal implications,” she informs.

After Raazi, Meghna had planned to roll with the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw biopic, but after she finished the first draft, she realised that given its subject and scale, it would be a while before this film could go into production. Since she had this script, she decided to go with this one first and on a lark, asked for a meeting with Deepika. When she outlined the story to her, the actress told her honestly that she was looking for a lighter subject, having done some intense films in the last few years. But two weeks later, when Meghna narrated the script to her, by the time she reached the end, Deepika had decided she was doing the film. “It was that organic because it’s such a moving story. And the decision to co-produce the film with her also happened organically because I wanted to remain close to it through the entire process,” says Meghna.

During her research, she had seen pictures of Laxmi before the attack and the only person who came to her mind was Deepika. “But I didn’t think even in my wildest dreams that she would agree to do this role. It’s not easy when your face is your calling card. To agree to put that on the line and disguise yourself as an acid attack survivor for a film is a difficult path to tread,” Meghna points out, adding that they are trying to achieve as much ‘live’ as they can, and prosthetics tests are underway. “There are different looks in the film because of the several stages of facial reconstruction. Luckily, we have great technical talent on board,” she adds.

How involved is Laxmi in the film? Meghna whose script is drawn from conversations with her over two years, says she has shared the detailed story and screenplay treatment with Laxmi. “She is happy with what we’ve developed,” the director says with quiet satisfaction. And will there be songs in the film that will bring her father, Gulzar, into the team? “It’s not a subject which inherently lends itself to songs, and that is something that I do to myself all the time, but I’m hoping we will find a place for some songs,” she signs off looking forward to the new year and a new challenge.