In Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, Deepika Padukone plays Malti, a woman from Delhi who has her face disfigured in an acid attack. Padukone calls Chhapaak her “most physically challenging” film. On the other hand, Deepika also calls it ”the most precious film of her career”.

Here how the journey of film Chhapaak begins:

Script reading sessions:

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar took to her Twitter handle to share a few pictures from their script reading sessions. She wrote, ”A team that reads together… #Chhapaak @deepikapadukone @masseysahib @foxstarhindi. Earlier this year, Deepika shared announced the film and called it, “A story of trauma and triumph. And the unquashable human spirit.”

Shoot Days:

During the shoot, Deepika said, “I remember on the second day of the shoot, I had a panic attack. We were doing the prosthetics when I had the attack because I’m claustrophobic. I broke into a sweat and could feel the blood rushing through my feet, and I remember saying to myself, ‘I can’t do this’. Having said that, I was willing to go through it all because this was a story we had to tell. Whenever I felt low or vulnerable, I would think about Laxmi and the other survivors, who have been through so much, and that would help me pull through the day.”
She also adds that during the shoot because of prosthetic work on her face she couldn’t even open her mouth to eat properly. At last, She confessed that working in the film was exceptionally challenging for her, certain moments taking a swing at her psychologically.

And the team wraps up the shoot:

Wrap up a day of the special film ‘Chhapaak’. On this day it was an emotional moment for the director and the team. Deepika Padukone said, “I would probably not do Chhapaak if she (Meghna Gulzar) was not the director of the film.” On the other side “Deepika never hesitated with a shot or delayed her schedule, the journey of Chhapaak with Deepika was serendipity,” said the Chhapaak director. The filmmaker also gave a massive shout-out to the entire cast and crew and said: “I don’t make my film. It is the 200 people that work on the film when coming onto the film, they take it and make it their own.”

The first look:

In the picture, we can see the actress in full prosthetic makeup. She spends most of her time with prosthetic work on her face to resemble an acid attack victim. “The prosthetics did not affect my acting style as such,” Padukone said. “But it was very, very uncomfortable to shoot in the extreme heat of Delhi and Bombay.

Chhapaak – Trailer day:

Sharing the trailer on social media, the makers wrote: “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.”

on trailer launch day Deepika Padukone explained why Chhapaak is special for her: “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 rarer is to not be able to articulate and put into words what you feel for the film and its journey… Chhapaak is all of that and more for me…”

Image Source: instagram.com/