'Will make Deepika Padukone meet Laxmi before we shoot'

Deepika Padukone

It's easy to be burdened by the weight of expectations that rest on Chhapaak - it not only has director Meghna Gulzar coming fresh off the success of the much-acclaimed Raazi (2018), but also sees Deepika Padukone face the camera after over a year. Unperturbed by the external pressures, the director says her sole concern is to be honest to acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal's story. Before the drama goes on floors in the third week of March, Gulzar has already begun readings with her cast.

"First, I read individually with each character, then I start pairing them as their combination would appear in the movie. Two to three weeks before the shoot, I will have a cast and crew reading where the entire film will be read. This will also include the technicians so that everybody can hear and see the movie before we roll," says Gulzar, who has co-written the script with Atika Chohan.

Meghna Gulzar with Laxmi Agarwal. Pic/Instagram

While Padukone plays the acid attack survivor, Vikrant Massey's character is modelled on Agarwal's partner Alok Dixit who is the founder of Stop Acid Attacks campaign. "I will facilitate the meeting between the four before we start shooting," says the director, before heaping praise on her leads for gaining complete understanding of their parts. "Vikrant is more external and expressive. In comparison, Deepika's process is far more internalised. With Vikrant, I can hear and see [his emotions] and with Deepika, I can feel them. We will not have too many readings because we want to keep a certain level of spontaneity for the floor."

Vikrant Massey

She reveals that the team has already undergone look tests. Given the nature of the subject, Gulzar admits that prepping for the film has been an emotional journey for Padukone and her. "I don't know Deepika long enough to say this, but I feel that we are similar people. So, I know that the subject affects her. When I met her for the first time for the narration, we both had teared up. Then we quickly composed ourselves and I went on to give her the entire narration. But now, like me, she is also in the execution mode. So, she has kept the emotions at a distance and is processing the story differently."

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