OUR VERY FIRST MOVIE REVIEW

FILM: CHHAPAAK

Meghna Gulzar directed Chhapaak, starring Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey in titular roles, is one such movie that has its heart in the right place but the eventual let down of the film transposes itself in the form of its execution. This film is inspired by the real life story of Laxmi Agarwal who was one of the acid attack survivors.

CAST:

The casting has been done keeping in mind the topic of the film, and sure does the cast doesn’t disappoint. Deepika Padukone is at her finest and so is Vikrant Massey. Deepika now a veteran in the industry has maintained her reputation and gives out a soulful experience and Vikrant Massey on the other hand, still a newbie in the industry doesn’t look like one. Vikrant Massey delivers an impactful performance. The cast is strong and they lived upto their expectations. Deepika being a maestro at what she does has lived upto her expectations and Vikrant Massey is the hidden gem who is coming out of the shadows.

STORY:

The film initially revolves around Malti, played by Deepika Padukone who was attacked by acid on the local streets of New Delhi.Putting it mildly, it can be stated that the movie in itself had immense potential to be one of the major soul stirring movies of this year, and possibly of all time, but as stated before, the execution and direction of the same, seems unnatural and a tad over bearing. Case in point, the movie in itself, misses the sole agenda of its existence, and that is of impact. The use of natural lighting, however commendable, takes away the amount of impact that an acid attack may have had on the masses at large, and to compensate for the absence of dramatic lighting, the movie uses a generous dosage of slow motion shots that overstay their welcome for far too long, and in essence, miss the point of making the audience actually feel moved by an experience or event as ghastly as this, to the point that it becomes boring. But on the other hand, where the movie truly shines is when it bases itself on the use of subtle remarks and gestures passed by both minor and major characters, case in point, a scene in the movie, alongside quite a few others, has Malti head towards a playground, wherein the audience is made to feel that she has won the slice of her life but then the screech and scream of a child upon having looked at the scarred and “alien” face of the acid attack survivor brings home the fact that the taboo concerning acid attacks and such like is as much a reality now than it was twenty years hence It manages to display the pain but defocuses attention through the journey of recovery but in doing so, it takes away the impact that is necessary to make the audience empathize with the victim. All it makes the audience do is sympathize which defeats half of its purpose as an eye opener rather than just another pretentious docu-film. The movie in itself seeks to shake the conscience of our country repeatedly- with disfigured faces, unbeaten survivors coming to the frontlines to share their horrific stories, and families driven to bankruptcy supporting recovery costs, while our judicial system sleeps away till the last drop of patience evaporates.

Meghna Gulzar’s magnum opus in conclusion is one that misses the same impact and visual grandeur, expanded with simplicity, as her previous works such as Raazi and Talvaar. Chapaak, on the other hand, is neither a good nor a bad film, by any means, at the end of the day its but what movies should never be, that is underwhelming.There are quite a few scenes which are bound to give the audience goosebumps and together with that there are also quite a few scenes which could have been executed in a more better manner. The makeup is breathtaking and the makeup artist deserves her credit.

SOUNDTRACK:

The soundtrack is very beautiful and goes on very well with the film, Arijit Singh’s magistical voice is bound to make you dwell deep into the songs. What strikes the hardest with the soundtrack is the fact that the movie uses the same titular song, or a certain rendition of it, to accentuate the several scenarios in the movie, but at the expense of actual figurative emotional weight of its entirety, thus, making the entire ordeal of watching the film a tad bit more exhausting and tedious. The soundtrack is dominated by Arijit Singh and he makes sure that, he gets to keep the title for being the best in the industry for a longer time.

FINAL WORDS:

The film ends with a terrifying scene and some statistics which gives away the fact that, no matter what is done, crimes won’t stop until the society changes and not the laws.
The film is good but not the best. Meghna Gulzar’s previous films like, Talvaar and Raazi had already set a bar, which this film failed to reach. Overall, this film is mainly a one time watch and must be watched by everybody for getting an insight into the victim’s state of mind after the attack. The film is satisfying but won’t let you comeback for more. Some scenes might bring tears to your eyes but that’s it. The film fails to create an impact which it was supposed to do.

CONTRIBUTORS:

• Moumita Ghosh
• Shounak Chakrabarti
• Kushan Niyogi
• Rohan Palodhi
• Debasrita Ghosh
• Shrishti Gupta

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