'Was waiting for a suitable occasion to bring Deepika, Laxmi together'

Deepika Padukone in the title track of Chhapaak

Over the past year, Deepika Padukone and director Meghna Gulzar have dedicatedly worked towards bringing the story of acid-attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal on celluloid. As Chhapaak nears its release date, the on-screen and off-screen heroes - Padukone and Agarwal respectively - are set to make their first joint appearance at the launch of the title track today.

"I had said at the trailer launch that we have a plan for Laxmi. Now, [I can reveal that] this was the plan. We were looking for a suitable occasion to bring Deepika and Laxmi together. They have interacted previously, but it will be special to have Laxmi at the launch of the theme song," says Meghna, who has worked closely with Agarwal while developing the story.

Laxmi Agarwal with Meghna Gulzar

The director reasons that since the title track - penned by father Gulzar - underlines how an acid attack survivor can emerge triumphant from the episode, it was only apt that the real-life hero unveil the song. After all, Agarwal, as the founder of Stop Sale Acid, has bravely led the campaign against acid violence. "[The song employs] the word chhapaak, so it is obviously talking about an acid attack. Thematically, it recurs in the film. That's how I like to use most of the songs in my movies; I don't use them in lip sync format but as playback. None of the songs, including Nok jhok, are [shot in] lip sync style as this film cannot lend itself to that format."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates