Thappad
Movie Review: A Silent Rebellion!
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Reviewer’s
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“The word love has by no means the same sense for both sexes, and this
is one cause of the serious misunderstandings that divide them” – Simone de Beauvoir
Anubhav Sinha’s film ‘Thappad’ creates such an impact
on you that its sound reverberates from one end of your heart to the other end
of your conscience. It tugs and pulls you in all directions of your life to
such an extent that your heart bleeds for all that you have done knowingly or
unknowingly which might have slit the fabric of love, respect and happiness of
your partner, friend, mother, sister and all those women who play a decisive
role in your life.
The canvas of the film is so wide that the filmmaker takes
you from the very first scene through the lives of many couples representing
the different rungs of the society. They are so easily relatable that their
lives’ twist and turns make you look within and at the same time make you observe
your life and draw comparisons with the lives on screen. The social message
slowly and steadily seeps into your heart that ‘Thappad’ is not just about the physical
hurt but also about the grievous wound that you have caused to her soul.
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Thappad tells the story of Ammu aka Amrita Sabherwal,
a homemaker in an affluent family in Delhi. Her husband Vikram (Pavail Gulati)
is career-oriented and is caught up in the rat race of the corporate world. He
is workaholic and leaves no stone unturned to ensure that he chases his dream so
that he can become the top head of his company’s London office. And on the other
side, Ammu is a happy soul taking care of her diabetic mother-in-law (Tanvi
Azmi), supporting and giving her husband the required moral support in pursuing
his dream, and also taking out some time to tutor a sweet little girl next door
on dancing. Ammu’s routine depicts the life of any homemaker like waking up almost
before the first faint sign of dawn before everyone, picking up the milk
bottles and the newspaper from the doorsteps, switching off the alarm clock,
waking up her husband, taking care of the medicines and regular check-up of his
mother and of course not forgetting to take a photograph of the beautiful dawn
with her mobile camera while she sips her warm cup of tea in the balcony. And
one fine day Ammu’s life cease because of a slap; the slap becomes the beginning
of her consciousness. She finds it difficult to understand the logic given to
her by her dear ones that “Ek Thappad hi thoh hai’. Ammu’s awakening becomes a
silent rebellion not just in her family but in every women’s life she touched.
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Tapsee Pannu as Ammu has given a stellar performance.
She reminds you of everything that you overlooked or pushed under the proverbial
rug saying that it's ok, it happens in a relationship, that’s what life is and so
on and so forth. A special mention for Pavail Gulati for his thoroughly
convincing performance as the loving husband as well as for playing the typical
self-obsessed patriarchal male. Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah, the two veterans
win your heart as Ammu’s parents. Geetika Vidhya as the maid of Ammu who is a
victim of an abusive marital relationship keeps you entertained and has given
an exemplary performance. The song ‘Ek Thukda Dhoop Ke’ sums up the soul of the
film beautifully through its lyrics and music.
In short, Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad after Mulk, Article
15 is a good example of how cinema can awaken the social conscience. Thappad is
commendable and deserves a standing ovation for its compelling message and for
its take on gender politics. It’s a movie to be watched with all the members of
your family. It raises pertinent questions on the kind of relationships we have
and patriarchy. Finally, Thappad is enabling beyond empowering and therefore let’s
remember what Melinda Gates said – “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a
strong woman”.
PEN
Movie Rating: 4/5
Cast: Tapsee Pannu (Amrita Sabherwal), Pavail Gulati (Vikram),
Ratna Pathak Shah, Kumud Mishra, Tanvi Azmi, Dia Mirza, Ram Kapoor, Sushil
Dahiya, Nidhi Uttam, Manav Kaul, Gracy Goswami, Sandeep Yadav, Naila Grewal,
Ankur Rathee, Geetika Vidhya
Genre: Social Drama
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Producer: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anubhav Sinha
Written by: Anubhav Sinha, Mrunmayee Lagoo
Music: Anurag Saikia (Songs), Mangesh Dhakde (Score)
Cinematography: Soumik Mukherjee
Edited by: Yasha Ramchandani
Production Companies: Benaras
Media Works, T-Series
Distributor: AA Films
Release Date: 28 February 2020
Duration: 142 Minutes
Language: Hindi
