‘Thappad’ review: making us question the reality of society

 

Anubhav Sinha’s directed Thappad hit the theaters on 8th Feb 2020. Sinha has proved what a gem he is for the Bollywood industry by producing projects like Mulk, and Article 15 in the past few years.

Thappad stars Taapsee Pannu in the leading role along with Pavail Gulati, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, and many others.

This story touches on the sensitive issue of domestic violence, which sadly many Indian women face. Owing to the increasing number of women facing domestic violence each day, Thappad is what Indians need.

Plot 

Thappad is the story of Amrita (or Amu) who loves her family. She ever left her passion for dancing, so she could dedicate her time entirely to become a perfect housewife. Her married life with Vikram was going happily until he slapped him at a party. 

After being slapped in front of so many people Amrita was shattered and started to question her entire relationship with her husband. She realized her relationship was not based on mutual respect and filed for a divorce. But will she be able to stand up for herself when everyone expects her to move on?

Writing is one of the strongest points of this movie

The writers have done a great job on the screenplay of this story. They don't try to make Vikram a total villain but give us subtle hints about his misogynist mindset. Like when he passes comments on his divorced neighbor when she buys a new car, “What does she do?”

You can also think of the next morning after he slapped Amrita at the party. All he could talk about was how he was feeling upset about work instead of apologizing for his actions that hurt his wife.

All the actors knew what they were doing

Taapsee did justice to the role of Amu a housewife who was trying to be perfect we could feel how Amu broke after realising that the person she love didn't even respect her.

But Taapsee isn't the only character that left a mark in the hearts of the viewers. Kumud Mishra in the role of a supporting father made the heart of many viewers ache, leaving them wishing their fathers could be this supportive.

Important:  One thing to note about the character of eggs is that he doesn't only support his daughter Amu, but also gets angry when his son disrespects his fiance. 

It's always easy to support our loved ones but to stand against them when they are wrong shows much more about our character.

Amrita's father is truly a character who treats the other gender with respect.

It's not just you

After Vikram slapped Amu there is a scene where Sunita the maid says to her husband that she thinks he is the only one who beats his wife but she was wrong.

Not only her but the lawyer who is a successful woman was treated badly by her husband.

Amrita’s journey also gave courage to these women to stand up for themselves, reminding us that the courage of one helps many. 

Conclusion 

The editing of this movie could be better but the issue it raises and how it shows it with authenticity on screen makes it a must-watch. 

It's a solid 4.5 for us.