Watched the movie 'Thappad' today. An extremely well-directed film by Anubhav Sinha. The casting is impressive and each one gave a solid performance.
The story, as the title suggests, is about a slap - from a husband (Pavail Gulati) to his wife (Taapsee Pannu) at a party in front of a roomful of shocked guests. The build up of the characters before this scene is commendable - Taapsee's parents, (Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah), her brother and his lawyer love (Maya Sarao, who is a married woman), her maid and her abusive husband, her single mother neighbour (Diya Mirza) and her diabetic mother-in-law (Tanvi Azmi).
The slap changes the dynamics between all the characters and acts as a mirror for many relationships (not just the protagonist's). One would think that the women would be most supportive of the suffering, slapped wife - but it is her father, and her brother's fiancee, who support her wholeheartedly in her decision to divorce her husband.
The film questions the mute acceptance of the sacrifices expected (even demanded) of women to run well-oiled households for their husbands and other family members. These sacrifices are many times demanded by their own elders, especially mothers and mothers-in-law.
Loved the clarity in the protagonist's thoughts - it was just a slap, the first one ever in her marriage, but it brought to light all the inequalities in the institution of marriage to her. And she has no intention of continuing with it. Her own lawyer tries to talk her out of it citing that its not enough grounds for a divorce; the legal battle could get messy and unethical. But Taapsee sticks to her guns and says she would still fight ethically. The title of the film is testament to this simplicity of thought.
The end is sweet but not the typical finding-the-middle-ground conclusion.
A must watch film.
The story, as the title suggests, is about a slap - from a husband (Pavail Gulati) to his wife (Taapsee Pannu) at a party in front of a roomful of shocked guests. The build up of the characters before this scene is commendable - Taapsee's parents, (Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah), her brother and his lawyer love (Maya Sarao, who is a married woman), her maid and her abusive husband, her single mother neighbour (Diya Mirza) and her diabetic mother-in-law (Tanvi Azmi).
The slap changes the dynamics between all the characters and acts as a mirror for many relationships (not just the protagonist's). One would think that the women would be most supportive of the suffering, slapped wife - but it is her father, and her brother's fiancee, who support her wholeheartedly in her decision to divorce her husband.
The film questions the mute acceptance of the sacrifices expected (even demanded) of women to run well-oiled households for their husbands and other family members. These sacrifices are many times demanded by their own elders, especially mothers and mothers-in-law.
Loved the clarity in the protagonist's thoughts - it was just a slap, the first one ever in her marriage, but it brought to light all the inequalities in the institution of marriage to her. And she has no intention of continuing with it. Her own lawyer tries to talk her out of it citing that its not enough grounds for a divorce; the legal battle could get messy and unethical. But Taapsee sticks to her guns and says she would still fight ethically. The title of the film is testament to this simplicity of thought.
The end is sweet but not the typical finding-the-middle-ground conclusion.
A must watch film.
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