Thappad

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Ben D A happy marriage of a wealthy marriage collapses after Vikram (Pavail Gulati) slaps Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) at a party surrounded by friends and family. I refrained from saying a “seemingly” happy marriage because there are no indications that discontent was fomenting beneath the surface here. Vikram was on the cusp of a promotion that would take him and Amrita to London where they’d start a family and eventually emigrate to the USA. Vikram, in an act of frustration, slaps Amrita while she is simply trying to remove him from a tense situation concerning a superior at the party — he’s just learned he’s being passed over for the promotion in an act of unjust nepotism. No one says anything to Amrita and I found myself, about an hour and a half into the movie, asking myself, “Wait, did he even apologize?” The plot indicates that corporal abuse is commonplace in India, shown through Sunita (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan), who frequently suffers from intense physical abuse at the hands of her husband — the distinction is Sunita is a poor maid who lives in a one-room apartment, whereas Amrita and Vikram are Upper-middle or Upper class. They have lovely homes (wherein the wife can afford to remain a homemaker), drive expensive cars, and (as noted) have hired, everyday “help”. They speak a mix of Hindi and English, interspersing the languages sometimes in the same sentence. The story concerns itself with the cultural pressures of keeping the family intact despite the abuse — notably, Amrita’s lawyer (Maya Sarao) asks, “So just the one slap, then?” when fact-gathering during their initial consultation. For Vikram, staying together is a foregone conclusion (especially when Amrita discovers that she is pregnant). For Amrita, she demands a husband who respects her and in-laws who will guide their son to respect her as well. The court system distinguishes itself from ours as the concept of “irreconcilable differences” as a “cause of action” does not exist. Therefore, aspersions must be cast and the combativeness of the system is supercharged if remaining together is no longer viable to one party. “If it was that easy, one-half of marriages would end in divorce,” Netra (lawyer) says… The plot has a few too many moving parts, which leaves us with an unnecessary 2-hour and 22-minute runtime. Netra’s own marital issues can be jettisoned for a tighter script. The score is kind of bizarre and feels like a Woody Allen movie. Family legal dramas are oftentimes depressing, but this one ends on a (relatively) high note. No matter what the culture, family law sucks everywhere. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/18/24 Full Review India's 1 C Wow... Never have I seen a film deal with such a sensitive issue this realistically. Thappad hits every beat perfectly, to the point where it is almost unsettling how spot-on it is (I can confirm from real events that this is exactly how it happened with people I know). The acting, the direction, the writing - all done to perfection and is guaranteed to bring a tear to one's eye. Finally, it deals with the topic in a more nuanced, more subtle and ultimately more engaging manner than some of Anubhav Sinha's other films, like Mulk. It is eye-opening, heartbreaking and ultimately - a deeply moving masterpiece. Final Rating: 85/100 Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/22 Full Review Kimberly C As a victim of domestic abuse this Oviedo is very triggering due to its accuracy. Personally this is more than a movie for me. The only thing on would've changed is the ending. In reality all those ppl around you who'd held on to certain believes won't suddenly change just after one speech. Sadly most don't get the point. It is more triggering reading some ppls reviews cs the whole thing have gone completely over their head, just like real life. I wish the movie had the guts to show that reality too. Overall hats off Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/29/22 Full Review Audience Member Inspiring. I wish if we can actually make bold decisions in reality. It's rare! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie treated the sensitive topic at its core with finesse. It highlighted the ugly side of patriarchy and divorce without making it vulgar. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Various and valid questions raised by the film maker impacting lives of women from diverse background, social status, age and so on. it talks about importance of one's self awareness and the dismissal one faces by the society suffering from deep rooted social conditioning. everyone performed really well. although Tapsee's dialogue delivery and acting method was similar to other movies I have seen of her. I saw more of Tapsee in Amrita then seeing Amrita as a person of her own. This fine work is not for masses but for progressive thinkers of the society. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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