By Samyukta Narayanan
From ‘Thappad se darr nahi lagta sahab’ to ‘Bas ek thappad, lekin nahi maar sakta,’ Bollywood has grown up.
Thappad begins like every other rom com movie where Amrita (Tapsee pannu) and Vikram(Pavail Gulati) seem like the usual happy urban Indian couple where Amrita is the dutiful and chirpy housewife and Vikram the ambitious breadwinner.
The first 30 mins lull you into a false sense of comfort till one slap changes the dynamics of the whole movie. Vikram is angry about a failed promotion and Amrita ends up as the unfortunate punching bag as she is slapped in front of a crowd at a party. The movie questions the gender roles that exist in society and what is the worth of dignity. Is it necessary to be beaten up to lose dignity or is a slap enough to lose your self respect?
Anubhav Sinha, the director does a commendable job as he deals with the subject matter with subtlety and treads the fine line between melodrama and realism effortlessly.
Also to be applauded are the actors as each actor plays their part with conviction. Tapsee gives a nuanced performance as the chirpy housewife who finally wakes up to her invisible existence, Pavail Gulati does a fine job playing Vikram, who is not a demon but instead just an entitled young Indian man. Special mention to Kumud Mishra as the doting father who is heartbroken at the plight of his daughter.
Tapsee gives a career defining performance. Amrita is meek, dutiful and chirpy but the sudden shift in her demeanor doesn’t seem unbelievable.She gives off an aura of quiet confidence that is admirable.
One of the strongest points of the movie is that it is never preachy in its tone. The actions and emotions speak for themselves and the director trusts the audience to read between the lines. Emotions are always simmering but rarely reach a breaking point.
Sinha constructs a believable and relatable universe which makes the audience more invested in how things unfurl, mostly because we can feel the familiarity of these situations.
We have all had that house help who complains about domestic violence nonchalantly or worse still, we have experienced it in our own households.
However the movie isn’t without its flaws as it drags a little too much in the second half. But it’s worth it for the heart-wrenching climax that is surely going to result in a few moist eyes in the hall.
I strongly recommend catching this movie in theaters near you. A tight screenplay, strong performances and a powerful theme make this movie a must watch in our opinion.
Gyann Loaded 