REVIEW OF CHHAPPAK

                     

                     

The movie is outstanding. You will watch the movie and come out of the theatre utterly depressed and angry about the fact that such incidents continue to still happen.

The movie could have all out played the emotional card and hammered the point home. It could have chosen to have more dialogues and scenes showing the protagonist wallow in self pity and shame and then show her come out a winner but it chooses not to. It is not a movie that would appeal to the masses as much as a masala movie laden with songs and tear jerking scenes. It shows the journey in brief of an acid attack ‘survivor’ and not an acid attack ‘victim’. The journey is not only on a personal level but it takes along with it other elements of the society as well. It doesn’t take patriarchy, misogyny and bias head on but it does portray all of that in a very subtle and refined manner.

Deepika has acted really well; you get to see the real Deepika for hardly 15 mins in the film, what you see for the rest of the time is an acid attack survivor. Vikrant Massey lends a very practical foil to Deepika in the movie. The supporting casts have done a good job too.

Such storied need to be told and such stories need to be listened to. The reach of cinema is unparalleled in our country and I think this is a great medium to communicate the social message that the movie carries. The movie could have ended on a high note and would have let people leave the theatre all glad and happy but again it chooses not to. It deliberately ends on a note that will make you angry and depressed and it hopes that you carry this angst against all such evils happening in our society.