Deepika Padukone shows a different face in 'Chhapaak' trailer

Award-winning Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is a stunner, but she is not using her looks as a crutch in her latest film 'Chhapaak', the trailer for which was launched in Mumbai on December 10 amidst much fanfare and glowing adulation. Her new film is unlike the regular glossy Bollywood musicals and romances. Padukone, who turns producer for the first time with this film, is on a mission of a different kind in Chhapaak. It’s her first release after her lavish wedding to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. Padukone, who made her debut with re-incarnation drama Om Shanti Om with Shah Rukh Khan, seems to have come a long way.

Directed by Meghna Gulzar of 'Raazi' fame, 'Chhapaak' documents the tale of a brave young woman named Malti who survives an acid attack in Delhi in 2005 and how she makes sure that the ghastly episode doesn’t rob her off her dignity and her right to live happily. It’s based on true events and it’s their attempt to give a humane face to this irrevocable tragedy that strikes when women are doused in acid as a part of hate crimes.

Padukone, who teared up during the trailer launch, claims that her decision to be a part of this project as an actor and co-producer was instinctual. This will remain one of her most special films in her career, claims Padukone. “Rarely do you come across a story where you do not need an entire narration to decide if you want to be a part of a film or not. What is even more rare is to not be able to articulate and put into words what you feel for the film and it’s journey... 'Chhapaak' is all of that and more for me,” said Padukone on her Instagram page.

'Chapaak' is a relevant film in today’s times, believes its director Gulzar. “This film is relevant in today’s times given the situation of women in the country right now. I’m happy that Deepika Padukone has given her face for Malti and completely let Malti take over her,” said Gulzar to the local press in Mumbai. The film will follow Malti’s journey after the acid attack. “Malti (Deepika Padukone) was attacked with acid on a street in New Delhi, in 2005. Through her story, the film makes an attempt to understand the on-ground consequences of surviving an acid attack in India, the medico-legal-social state of affairs that transpires after the acid has been hurled.”

Vikrant Massey, who is one of Bollywood’s rising stars, will play a pivotal role in 'Chhapaak'. The trailer show him as a kind young man and activist Amol who propels Malti to return to the mainstream life. “What doesn’t destroy you only makes you stronger. Presenting Malti’s story based on a real-life incident, one that must be told,” declared Massey on his social media account along with the trailer.

'Chapaak' is likely to usher a new brave face of Bollywood cinema where stories with social significance is told spearheaded by Bollywood A-listers without the usual song-dance, comic routines. 'Chhapaak' is out in the UAE cinemas on January 9, 2020.