Aparna Bhat, the lawyer who represented the acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, on whose life the Deepika Padukone starrer movie Chhapaak is based on, had moved Delhi’s Patiala House Court seeking for a stay on the release of the movie.
Bhat had alleged that while she was the lawyer who represented Laxmi in her arduous legal fight, she has been given no credit in the movie Chhapaak.
The Patiala House Court in Delhi, after hearing lawyer Aparna Bhat’s plea, has today ordered Chhapaak director Meghna Gulzaar to give due credit to the lawyer in the movie.
#BREAKING: Delhi Court orders #Chhapaak Director Meghna Gulzar to give due credit to Lawyer Aparna Bhat in the movie credits saying: ‘Aparna Bhat continues to fight cases of sexual and physical violence against women’. Good decision of the court. https://t.co/qLrsGR2xpo pic.twitter.com/1kx2kzlOBa
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) January 9, 2020
As shared by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, the court order states that it has found the claims of the lawyer valid. The court has ordered the director Meghana Gulzaar to include a slide of actual footage and images in the movie’s credits, declaring “Aparna Bhat continues to fight cases of physical and sexual violence against women” along with a rider that the same is through court orders.
The order mentions that if the screening of the film without the actual footages and images and without credit to Aparna Bhat will be a grave injustice and will be akin to preventing the public from knowing about Bhat’s contribution and her efforts.
Earlier, on 11th December, Aparna Bhat had, in fact, taken to Facebook to celebrate the movie the making of the film Chhapaak. She said that she still remembers how it took her 8 years to get the law changed, the minimum compensation increased, ensuring free treatment at private hospitals and finally, regulating acid sale. She then celebrated the story now being told in Bollywood. However, after watching the movie, she had changed her opinion.
Bhat had taken to social media to share that she has been hurt and saddened to see that she has not received even as much as a “Thank You” in the movie.
