Chhapaak starring Deepika Padukone promises sheer brilliance

The first look of Deepika Padukone starrer Chhapaak based on the story of an acid attack survivor released today and it took everyone’s breath away. Deepika Padukone tweeted the first look on micro blogging site Twitter with the caption "A character that will stay with me forever... Malti. Shoot begins today! Chhapaak!"

The director of Chhapaak Meghna Gulzar also spoke out about Malti, the lead character played by Deepika Padukone. She said "She is courage. She is hope. She is Deepika Padukone as Malti in Chhapaak. Shoot begins today."

The real woman on whom the story is based

Chhapaak already promises to be a beautiful movie. It is based on the phenomenal story of a real life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Laxmi Agarwal is in herself a phenomenal woman who is so much more than an acid attack survivor. She is a social activist and an acid attack campaigner who was a force behind bringing about restrictions on the sale of acid, she is a TV show host, she is a single mother of a lovely daughter, and she is a fighter and a champion.

This is a woman who broke all boundaries imposed by the society. At the age of fifteen when a thirty two year old man stalked even when she repeatedly refused his advances she did not shut herself down. When the same man threw acid on her, he burnt her skin but could not even touch her spirits. She struggled for weeks in the hospital and survived. When she finally fell in love, she and her partner refused to follow societal norms and get married and chose to stay in a live in relationship. When they parted ways, she refused to play the victim and chose to bring up her daughter single -handedly.

A True Champion

She is an active campaigner for the rights of any acid attack survivor. She was honored by the then First Lady of America Michelle Obama with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award. Her selfless struggle for justice is inspirational.

A challenge perfect for Deepika Padukone

Chhapaak is a movie based on a great woman and Deepika Padukone looks all set to portray her struggles. There is not an ounce of doubt that Deepika Padukone is a phenomenal actress. This is her first project after marriage and she is all set to stun us.

Conclusion

Capturing the emotions and struggles of an acid attack survivor is no easy feat but if anyone is up to the task then it is Deepika Padukone. The first look in itself is a testament to the fact. Even in a still shot, the great actress manages to put forth a story.

We know who the story of Chhapaak is based on, we know who is portraying her and we know who is directing the movie. Now we are eagerly waiting for a cinematic experience that will leave us speechless.

The story of Second Surgical strike that annihilated Jaish-e-Mohammad

The Indian Air Force proved it’s mettle once again when our glorious officers performed a second surgical strike beyond the line of control. The second surgical took place in in the heart of the arch nemesis of India, Pakistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

What led to this moment?

Earlier this month, the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad had carried out a heinous attack on a convoy of CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama district of South Kashmir. The terrorist had rammed a car loaded with kilos and kilos of RDX into a bus filled with our brave Jawans. The attack was so brutal that body parts were found scattered in the aftermath.

The blood of every Indian had boiled with rage after this heinous crime against humanity. Many people had called for a full blown attack against Pakistan which is sheltering the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad and is suspected to be backing the terror organization directly. The insensitive comments from across the borders had pushed everyone’s patience over the cliff. The Indian government, to its credit remained calm and instead of acting rashly and risking the lives of more soldiers planned a swift and precise strike

What exactly happened?

The second surgical strike not only achieved it’s target but the strategist behind it made sure that we incurred minimum loses. In the wee hours yesterday, the Mirage2000 jets of the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control and caused the complete annihilation of the terrorist camps located in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Almost a thousand kilo of bombs were dropped over theJaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

The Pulwama attack was finally avenged by the second surgical strike on 3:30 am on a Tuesday. The sad part is that it was merely two and a half years ago that the first surgical strike against Pakistan based terror organization had taken place. It has become clear that no lesson was learnt out of that and the ugly head of terrorism had the audacity to raise its head again. While the second surgical strike is a commendable step and a brilliant strategic move, we need a more permanent solution against these criminals of humanity.

What now?

Today, however, Indians will go to sleep satisfied that their beloved soldiers have been avenged and the terrorists annihilated. The most savage part about this attack was that the Twitter handle of  Pakistan defence had tweeted a picture of their fighter plane along with the caption “Sleep tight because PAF is awake”. Merely three hours after the tweet our brave pilots entered the border into Pakistan and caused the annihilation of three hundred and fifty terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Today we will salute our armed forces, our soldiers and the people behind them. Tomorrow, hopefully we will come with a permanent solution to ensure the end of terrorism..

Ranveer Singh's vigorous performance in "Gully Boy"

Zoya Akhtar is back with another bang with Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starring in the musical drama “Gully Boy.” The underdog story took the internet by storm with Ranveer Singh’s rap songs. Gully Boy took rap to a whole new ‘meaningful’ level unlike the rap songs that crowded the Indian music industry being one of the major reasons why people are more excited for “Apna Time Ayega”than Valentine’s Day. Besides Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, the film also stars Kalki Koechlin.



Taking the internet by storm is not the only impact Gully Boy is up to. Rapper Divine and Naezy who were also one of the inspirations of Zoya Akhtar while making the movie now have packed shows worldwide. With “Asli Hip Hop” and “Mere Gully Mey” the catchy beats are being loved by enthusiasts nationwide. The Gully Boy album has a whopping number of 18 tracks three of which are released so far out of which Ranveer Singh’s rap songs are being loved by everyone.



Rapper Divine and Naezy when interviewed mentioned how they hoped Gully boy powered by Ranveer Singh’s rap songs would take hip hop and rap to every corner of India. When interviewed by IANS Divine said, "I'm really looking forward that the film will take hip hop to each and every corner, street and village in this country. I want to see more of our youth take up the mic or learn to play an instrument or produce beats and do something different in their careers. The film is inspired by the Mumbai hip hop community and it's amazing how far we have come in the last few years. With this film, it seems the journey has only begun."



Before its release in India, Gully Boy will premiere in the Berlin International Film Festival scheduled between 7th and 17th February. Gully Boy is produced by excel entertainment which is co-owned by Farhan Akhtar is set to rule the theatres on 14th February this year.