Deepika's acid test

The vitriol against Padukone, who is a hugely popular star, will fade over time. But let's not forget what caused it

Chhapaak, starring Deepika Padukone as an acid attack survivor, is a story of triumph. It’s an enabling story about overcoming horrific odds that may suddenly be flung at you, searing you, maiming you, and seemingly condemning you to death in life. It’s a story of hope over hate. For every acid attack against a woman springs from hate — a retaliatory hate that insists on teaching her a murderous “lesson”.

In the film, Padukone plays Malti, a young girl who goes through multiple surgeries to reconstruct her acid-ravaged face, fights a long and arduous legal battle to bring to justice those