Deepika will be a revelation in 'Chhapaak': Meghna Gulzar

Meghna Gulzar came across the "extremely rampant" issue of acid attacks in 2015 and to bring her take on the subject, "Chhapaak", on screen, she roped in Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who she says will be a "revelation" in the film.

The director said she was amazed how quickly Deepika imbibed the nuances of her character Malti, based on acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.

"Deepika is going to be a revelation in 'Chhapaak'. It is a completely different side of Deepika which people will see. When I say that I don't mean just the look or prosthetics, it's also about going into the second level of the character the body language, the gestures and the general energy," Meghna told PTI here on the sidelines of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The filmmaker, whose last release "Raazi" was well-received both by the audiences and critics, said the actor met Laxmi briefly before the shooting began and was able to portray the part with a lot of sensitivity.

"It's amazing how quickly she picked up the stuff. Even her smile that she has throughout the film, it's not the Deepika Padukone smile. It's Malti's smile. Somewhere we found a middle path between Deepika's and Laxmi's smile. It's been fulfilling to have had her as a part of this film," she added.

Since her first directorial, "Filhaal", to her last, "Raazi", Meghna has always told unconventional stories with mainstream actors in the lead.

The director said the desire to take her films to a larger set of audience is the reason behind working with popular actors.

"I want to tell unconventional stories and I wish the story goes as far and wide as possible. I try and get people who are the mainstream faces and voices to help the film travel. I have been fortunate that those people have agreed to come on board and taken the story wider than it could have gone."