2020

Loved this song all through. Excellent music. Gulzar's signature metaphors: dhoop ko grahan lag gaya, chhapaak se pehchaan le gaya -- excellent way to encode the poignance of the evil act that is the seed of the movie. Arijit's sings his heart out and his voice fits this song so well. -UVR

Gulzar's lyrics wrap social message and a grimy reality into one, while Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy back it up with a just-as-haunting melody that falls into the Vishal Bhardwaj zone. Arijit renders is efficiently; you can feel the impact of the social issue being represented. -Rujul

Lyrical and yet momentous-sounding song, I thought. Classic Arijit Singh rendition. The words flow very well with the music. 'Chhapaak', an onomatopaeic word for the sound of a splash, conveys the sense of suddenness, accidental-ness and yet fluidity. -Trisha

Gulzar does a msterful job at writing a seemingly tricky tiltle track for the film. -Anish

"छपाक से पहचान ले गया" Who other than Gulzar sahab could have attempted to write a song on a topic as sensitive as the act of acid attack. एक चेहरा गिरा, जैसे मोहरा गिरा explains how a human being's face/their identity is reduced to being a pawn in the game of somebody's ego. It is also worth noting that the song does not mention the gender aspect but emphasises on the impact of such a brutal act on broader humanity. I might be underplaying Arijit's aalaaps and SEL's low-key but emphatic music, but it is really the lyrics that caught most of my attention in this song. -Akanksha

Sheer genius of Gulzar. His writing deserves accolades here. The pathos..imagery..description of the horrific incident in the protagonist's life. The usage of the word छपाक -- identity being taken away through just a splash of something. His writing is the star of this haunting track. Arijit’s rendition is impactful. -Mihir

Gulzar's lines brilliantly capture the protagonist's pain and trauma, and SEL give it a befittingly pensive musical treatment. Arijit too is in top form behind the mic. -Vipin

The lyrics are the hero of the song, and the music complements it really well. -Amborish

What a wonderful song! Music by S-E-L (although it feels like a Vishal Bharadwaj song) and words by Gulzar perfectly convey the wrecking of one's identity because of one event. So nice to hear lyrics like dhoop ko grahan lag gaya. Best use of Arijit's voice in the year. -Vaishali

Gulzar, who had previously written the line 'Meri aawaz hi pehchan hai' -- that my *voice* is my identity -- here compares the loss of *face* to the loss of identity. -Vishal

Arijit Singh channeling his inner Sukhwinder. Lyrics are relevant for the plot of the film. But underwhelming overall. -Subrat

The famous "andha kuaan" makes a reappearance! -Shalini

Chhapaak had released. Me and a female friend saw the film at a Bandra theatre. We were moved by some scenes. Yet what hit the most was the line - "Chhapaak se pehchan le gaya". We walked till Pali Hill and stood outside Boskiyana, marvelling at Gulzar Saab's house and words. Such a simple and powerful line. -Anup

The line 'chhapaak se pehchaan le gaya' sums up the whole film. Even Arijit sounds good in this one. -Aditya

Gulzar's lyrics add depth to Laxmi's story and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy give a soul-stirring composition, supported well with Arijit's engaging vocals. -Aman