Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is blown over by the grit and strength of an acid attack victim, a female from Jharkhand, whom he met while shooting for a special episode of his game show “Kaun Banega Crorepati 6” (KBC).
“It has been a most traumatic and disturbing evening on the sets of KBC, where we have recorded the special episode called ‘doosra mauka’ – a second chance, for those that are afflicted by horrendous acts of violence,” Amitabh wrote on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.
“Sonali Mukherjee from Jharkhand, a pretty young girl was harassed by three boys in her neighbourhood and when she repelled their unwanted advances towards her, they threw acid on her face and destroyed it,” he added.
In the attack, Mukherjee lost her eyes, hearing and speech. She was accompanied by actress Lara Dutta, who works towards helping women in distress.
Though hearing about the ghastly act left Amitabh disturbed, he is amazed by the her courage.
“The three boys are out on bail. Sonali has through sheer grit and strength fought for her survival for nine years, has had 22 surgeries done to repair her face and still has a long way to go,” the 70-year-old said.
“Denied of justice, she pleaded publicly to end her life through the process of euthanasia. Denied of that too because euthanasia is illegal in the country, she decided to not remain silent and suffer.”
“She is now able to speak, hear, but cannot see. Her story is one of immense courage and fortitude. The nation salutes her as do all of us, but simultaneously hangs its head in shame for this dastardly act – an ugly reminder of the kind of evil that exists in our society,” he added.