From Violence to Voice: Rereading Gender and Normalcy in Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak

The core principle of sociology and psychology shows that human beings perceive theworld through the lens of some standard norms which are not fixed but socially constructed. Inthis context, Lennard J. Davis 2013) observes. “Each of us endeavors to be normal… We rank ourintelligence, our cholesterol level, our weight, height, sex drive, bodily dimensions along someconceptual line from subnormal to above average” (1). This fabricated perception of “normalcy”becomes deeply problematic for persons with disabilities, especially women, who are doublysubaltern—being women and being disabled.The present paper examines Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak (2020), a cinematic retelling of the reallife story of acid attack survivor, activist, and T.V. host Laxmi Agarwal. The film exposes thegrotesque face of gender violence, where toxic masculinity punishes women who defy patriarchaldemands. Through her protagonist Malti (Deepika Padukone), Gulzar subverts notions of physicalbeauty and critiques oppressive normalcy. More importantly, the film gives survivors a voice:Malti’s iconic declaration, “Unhone meri surat badli hai, mera mann nahi” (They changed my face,not my spirit), transforms violence into testimony. The paper argues that Chhapaak is not merelyabout trauma but about agency, resilience, and the feminist reconstitution of selfhood.