Chhapaak: Meghna Gulzar pens heartfelt note on how Deepika Padukone took on the film, character 'in a heartbeat'

Director Meghna Gulzar recently wrote a blog post on Deepika Padukone’s website sharing the reason why the actress agreed to become a part of  _Chhapaak_ . In the post titled ‘Girl-Woman’, the filmmaker mentioned her first meeting with Padukone and called it “a moment of serendipity.” She said that she was convinced the actress was not interested in the kind of film Gulzar was going to offer her. But she was wrong. The Padmavaat star was interested in a light, romantic script, after three back-to-back intense films. [caption id=“attachment_5708651” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Deepika Padukone (left) and Meghna Gulzar (right). Image from Facebook[/caption] Gulzar explained why Padukone was a perfect fit for the role, “My film was based on acid violence. Of a woman who epitomised immense courage and strength, in the face of crippling adversity,” and adds that she agreed to it “in a heartbeat.” She also recalled that Padukone often jokes that she agreed to do the film “because of a scene where she gets to eat kairi (raw mango) with salt and red chilli powder.” Padukone will portray Laxmi Agarwal onscreen and also produce the film. Chhapaak will showcase her journey in the time after her attack spanning a decade, a significant part of the story is the game-changing PIL in the Supreme Court which inspired the amendment on acid laws in 2013. Gulzar had in the past said that the film is an attempt to  explore a larger story on acid violence  in the country through a real life subject. Lootera and Dil Dhadakne Do actor  Vikrant Massey also plays a pivotal role in the film. Chhapaak is scheduled to start filming in the third week of March.