Movie Review: Thappad

Thappad Movie Review: A Silent Rebellion!

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Reviewer’s Thumb Mark

“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