‘Chhapaak’ review: Deepika Padukone is exceptional in this hard-hitting film

Whenever an acid attack occurs, the public’s interest lies in viewing the woman’s Before and After photos. However sympathetic the gaze, the attention becomes voyeuristic; the horror the attack inspires in us is proportional to how much of the woman’s beauty has been erased. Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak, which is based on the real life story of Laxmi Agarwal, makes an important choice by not beginning with Malti (Deepika Padukone) as she was before the attack. Instead, we’re introduced to her as a young woman who’s desperate for a job because her disfigured face has made it impossible for her to get one.