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‘Acid is not in the bottle, it’s in the mind of people’
LUCKNOW It was a double delight for Kunti Soni, 25, and Jeetu Sharma, 22, two of many acid attack survivors working at Sheroes Café who went to see Laxmi’s story
LUCKNOW It was a double delight for Kunti Soni, 25, and Jeetu Sharma, 22, two of many acid attack survivors working at Sheroes Café who went to see Laxmi’s story on celluloid on Friday morning.
The duo played the role of Deepika Padukone’s friends in the film, ‘Chhapaak’. They were also happy about the fact that issues related to acid attack survivors were portrayed nicely in the film.
The film is based on the real life of Laxmi Agarwal, an acid attack survivor, who won the International Women of Courage Award at Washington (March 2014) for successfully leading the campaign against acid attacks on women in India.
“To me acid is not in the bottle, it’s in the mind of people. I hope the film changes the mindset of people and no girl is attacked thereafter with acid. The film throws light on the life of survivors after the attack. But, the story is about hope and triumph. The film is inspiring,” said Jeetu Sharma, acid attack survivor.
Jeetu was attacked with acid by a 55-year-old man in Aligarh when she was 16. She pursued her case in court for about three years, but eventually did not pursue it due to financial crunch.
“Life of acid attack survivors gets confined to hospital for countless surgeries and fighting legal battle. The film ‘Chhapaak’ beautifully throws light on the pain and trauma of acid attack survivors,” said Kunti Soni, 25, acid attack survivor at Sheroes and a resident of Rajajipuram. She was attacked by her husband in 2011.
Both Kunti and Jeetu had watched the film with Deepika before its commercial release.
“My favourite actor Deepika played Laxmi’s character nicely. We are extremely proud that a commercial film has been made on the subject. I hope people will become more sensitive towards acid attack survivors,” said Anshu Rajput, 21, another acid attack survivor. She was attacked in 2014.
Preeti Patel, 24, a resident of Fatehpur, who also faced the brunt of acid, said ‘Chhapaak’ was a good film to watch and people like her were able to relate to the movie.
“What happened to me should not happen to anyone. The mindsets need to change, the system needs a makeover and the society needs to accept that those at the receiving end are not to be blamed,” she said.
Deepika Padukone came to Lucknow recently to celebrate her birthday with acid attack survivors at Sheroes Café in Gomti Nagar.
It may be mentioned that Uttar Pradesh tops the acid violence tally in India and acid too is freely available in the state.
A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Laxmi Agarwal got the nation a new set of regulations for acid attacks. The Supreme Court issued guidelines that restricted open sale of acid and recommended compensation for all acid attack survivors.
The flame that Laxmi lit in the form of her ‘Stop Acid attack’ campaign in the country has inspired many women like her to step out of the four walls of the house and face the world.
