As Deepika Padukone’s movie Chhapaak released on 10th January, many are curious to know the real girl whose story inspired Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak Character Malti. She is Laxmi Aggarwal, whose real-life heart-touching story inspired Deepika Padukone & Meghna Gulzar to create Chhapaak.
‘He threw acid on my face, not on my dreams’, said acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal.
Her words are powerful enough to signify Laxmi’s courage and strength.
Like many of us, if you are also curious to know about Laxmi’s inspiring real-life story, then continue reading.
Born in New Delhi, Laxmi is very fond of music and dance. Her earliest dream was to become a singer so she joined a music school near her home.
In one of the earlier interviews with Indian Express, Laxmi had narrated,
“I had always wanted to be a singer or a kathak dancer, but my father was a cook and we didn’t have enough money for lessons.
When I took up the job, I thought I’d put some money aside to learn music.
The day before the incident, I had spoken to the didi who conducted the music classes. I was supposed to attend my first lesson the next day.
That day never came.”
Laxmi was just 15 years old when she was acid-attacked by a 32-year-old, Nahim Khan, who was a family friend and had been stalking Laxmi for more than a year.
She rejected his marriage proposal and paid the price in the form of an acid attack.
The attack was very traumatic for Laxmi. She was hospitalized for three months and feared to look in the mirror. It took Laxmi more than 7 surgeries to recover.
Also Read: Deepika Padukone’s “Chhapaak” Trailer Shows What Strong Women Look Like
Even after a turbulent recovery, her courage to fight never faded away.
Post her recovery, she filed a PIL in court to get a permanent ban on the acid sale. But it took years of struggle until 2013 when the Supreme Court ruled in her favor.
Her efforts also put her culprits behind the bar but that wasn’t enough for making society to accept her or any other acid attack survivor.
She just wanted to live a normal life, without being confined behind the doors.
She struggled to understand why society wanted her to cover the face. She quoted once,
“He [the attacker] will cover his face and not me”
Her life took a turn for better when she found a partner in Alok Dixit. They setup an NGO together, Chhanv Foundation, to help acid attack survivors. Both of them had a baby girl named Pihu in 2014.
Also Read: The Untold Story Of The Attacker Who Threw Acid On Laxmi Aggarwal
While sharing the why she named her daughter Pihu, Laxmi shared:
“You know, for the longest time, I didn’t know what to call her. But I realised she likes music. Whenever I sing to her, she seems happy. And then the name popped up just like that, out of the blue, in the washroom of all places! Pihu, because she’s the sweetest sound in my life,”
Unfortunately, Alok and Laxmi separated because of differences and Laxmi received Pihu’s custody.
Laxmi has been an inspiration to many people, yet society hasn’t accepted her.
She has received multiple awards – International Women of Courage Award by Michelle Obama and walked multiple ramps and even hosted a show.
Yet society hasn’t granted her simple wish to let her live a decent life.
Laxmi was recently in the news when she gave out an interview saying she is finding it difficult to get a job and make ends meet. A beautician by profession, she is unable to find a job because parlors fear that her distorted face will scare off customers.
“I am educated till the 10th standard, but am a trained beautician and can communicate well.
But my face becomes a hurdle when I ask for any job at any beauty parlour, as they say customers will get scared of my looks.
I applied at a call centre and told them that the customers wouldn’t see my face, but they replied that ‘to get a job, I need to have a face to begin with’,”
After reading her agony, Akshay Kumar came forward to support and donated Rs 5 lakh to her.
But, is it about money or is it about the mindset?
Laxmi has always asked the society to accept her and her new life. But society has failed her miserably.