Thappad
Ratings: 4/5
Duration: 2 Hrs 10 Mins
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Genre: Drama
Release Date: 28th February 2020 (India)
Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Tanvi Azmi, Sushil Dahiya, Naila Grewal, Pavail Gulati, Ram Kapoor, Siddhant Karnick, Manav Kaul, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Ankur Rathee, Maya Sarao, Ratna Pathak Shah, Nidhi Uttam
Plot: Thappad is a story of Amrita (Taapsee Pannu), a trained Indian classical dancer hailing from a loving and supportive family in Delhi, who has given up on her passion for dance and revolved her life around her fiercely ambitious husband Vikram’s (Pavail Gulati) needs, wants and dreams so far.
But her seemingly ‘perfect life’ crumbles down during a house-party that was organized to celebrate his success in the corporate world, when her husband slaps her out of frustration, as he realizes his dream is about to get shattered due to office politics.
Will Amrita brush it off as a one-off incident, ‘the frustration’ that was witnessed by loved ones, forgive him and move on or will this shake up her own beliefs about marriage and force her to speak up against this humiliation in public along with facing various point-of-views from different people around her, is the film Thappad all about.
Review: Director Anubhav Sinha's 2 hours and 21 minutes-long movie Thappad has not crossed the line of being ‘over-dramatic’ and has made the tough point in the subject easier for the viewers to understand. This film would help one to become a better version of themselves, as for a society that rarely talks about the psychological and emotional effects of domestic violence.
The film doesn’t aimlessly rant but focuses on family and society and the years of conditioning a woman is subjected to. And to portray this perfectly, other than the main characters played by the couple, there are other women in focus too, for instance, one hung up on the idea that marriage is the ultimate destination, one who is compelled to believe that getting thrashed by the husband is the norm and so on.
In short, the ‘casual thappad’ ‘log kya kahenge’ and the unsaid rules of marriage have been seamlessly exhibited without being ‘too in-your-face’ yet will turn out to be a heavy movie for the viewers heart as well as the brain.
When it comes to performances, Taapsee Pannu, has given a firecracker performance as the submissive, dotting housewife, who suddenly undergoes an ocean of change within her. While Pavail Gulati, as the determined corporate slave, pulls off a brilliant performance.
Whereas, Kumud Mishra stands out as Amrita's father, Tanvi Azmi and Ratna Pathak Shah, as Amrita's mother-in-law and mother respectively, play their roles well and supports the scenes beautifully too. Even, Dia Mirza shines up the frame with her presence. Only Maya Sarao’s role gets overshadowed by these real power-packed performances.
It's Anubhav and Mrunmayee Lagoo’s fine writing and the in-depth handling of the various characters in the film, their greys, complexities, dilemmas shown, that deserves a special mention.
And the music by Anurag Saikia is beautifully melancholic in tone. The lyrics of the song ‘Ek Tukda Dhoop’ is a perfect match for the film and blends in well with the narrative. Even the backgrounds score by Mangesh Dhakde is subtly impactful.
Overall, the film Thappad is a silent slap on our society's age-old belief that says that women should learn to adjust. And the film drives home a solid point and leaves you with enough to ponder upon. An eternal and engrossing watch for every man out there. Watch it for the women you love!
