What comes up is his attitude, shamefully universal, that women are property. The religion of the acid-thrower is never the most important thing about him. It’s also apt that the perpetrator Bashir Khan aka Baboo (Vishal Dahiya) is given minimal space, almost like an afterthought. The two other women, a lawyer (Upadhyay), and a journalist (Deshpande) both leave an impression: they are there as professionals, not just pretty faces. So are the others on Team Malti, especially Shiraz aunty (Payal Nair), a wealthy woman who doubles up as guardian angel. Madhurjeet Sarghi who plays her doughty, ever-supportive lawyer Archana Bajaj, is wonderful: Anand Tiwari in a walk-on part, is spot-on, as her supportive spouse.

Massey as the ornery, impatient NGO-type, whom we know will develop a soft corner for Malti, is pleasing, even though in some bits, him snapping her head off appears a tad exaggerated. Padukone, who grows into her role as she goes along, is given an interesting supporting cast. And that’s what makes up for a few faltering steps, which also include the superfluous songs: I guess a studio film minus all songs is still some way off. That takes a certain kind of courage, and Padukone shows she’s up for it, without, thankfully, any showiness. We are shown that face up- front, unflinchingly. Acid ravaged faces are not pretty: when Malti sees herself in the mirror the first time after she’s back from hospital, she screams. What also saves the film from becoming a preachy, let’s-stand-up-for-these-poor-girls cause-mongering, which it could well have sunk into, is its determinedly grounded air.

Simplemoviex review