Thappad: Film Review

  Film Review

THAPPAD

By Divjot Kaur

Thappad (2020) is a thought provoking, genuine reflection of our society. Its meticulous

screenplay has been brilliantly portrayed, captured by the nuances and the underlying yet bold

declarations in Anubhav Sinha’s direction and Tapassee Punnu’s commendable acting.

The movie’s premise revolves around the seemingly ‘normal’ life of Amrita and Varun. An

economically well off young couple with everything but mutual ‘respect’ as is evident from

Amrita’s identity being taken for granted and disrespected by Varun without a moment’s

thought. Amrita devotes herself to fulfill her husband’s life, being there as a homemaker, as a

caretaker, as someone who ties together all aspects of the domestic realm with barely any

validation in return. She does so with an infectious smile and jolly spirit- all because she chose

so. “Housewife hoon, meri choice thi. Wo paise kamaega, mai ghar chalaungi. Fair deal thi

meri. Unfair wo thappad tha, unfair hai mujhse expect karna ke main move on karun.” And this

choice is being disrespected and utterly defiled by the man by ignoring her value and

dehumanizing her by being unapologetically defensive, for slapping her.

It is being justified by using compromise, ‘just a slap’, violence as a mode of love – and other

bullshit notions powered by patriarchy, the agents of which come in the form of her own mother,

her brother and many more who deem it better to brush the dirt under the mat for society’s sake.

At the very basic level the movie is about the slap, a violet incident –unacceptable and insolent

attended by our society and the following reactions, repercussions of it. Par thappad ki goonj

mei bahut si gehri sachaiye chupi hai

“ Uss ek thappad se mujhe woh sari unfair cheeze saaf saaf dikhne lagg gayi jisko main

undekha karke move on karte ja rahi thi.”

An exemplary work of art, it raises multiple narratives and issues of our lives. The slap in itself is

also a twofold metaphor – the violent act as an infringing and violent degradation of a woman’s

basic dignity and agency and on the other if we are to see it as an ironical title : it is a slap on

this patriarchal society’s archaic and inhuman normalized notions. It brings forth for our

confrontation the fact that women are robbed off their agency at all levels. The domestic worker

whose husband is abusive, the reputed lawyer whose husband doesn’t understand consent,

Amrita being treated with no gratitude or remorse and the single widowed mother whose

existence and success is questioned on grounds of being ‘without a man and how that could

possibly function’. The film makes jarring and hopeful yet still realistically transpired

conclusions for these women- the fighting back, taking rein of one’s private life as much as her

professional life, a loving, warm and quite unproblematic family of just the mother and

daughter. And of course, Amrita who is now pregnant, taking the wheel of her life (literally as

well, she learns to drive for herself which is a clever symbolism in the film), the husband having

come around as apologetic yet that not ending in some cheesy problematic version of Amrita

taking him back. He repents as he should and they separate ways, taking paths of rediscovery and

self-improvement.

The film is poignant- to put it simply. It is a complex coalition of simple truths of our society and

ones that leave us feeling angry about all that’s wrong but at the same time empowering each

character with the due agency and dignity in a realistic representation; and in that process

igniting genuine hope- perhaps even the ricochet of real change. A hard blend to manage, but

Thappad truly nailed it. It’s a movie one must watch and with one’s family. Don’t let those

dinner conversations remain banal with an easy digest, get the talk roaring , it’s the first step for

change. It’s time to serve a little bit of hard to digest but absolutely necessary and vital salads of

our identity, agency and dignity.

Amrita’s strong assertions throughout the film are set to leave a deep, permeating impact- one

that ought to resound within each one of us.