Thappad - A social marker brilliantly depicted !

ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch Anubhav Sinha’s “Thappad” now streaming on Amazon Prime. This is one innocuous looking social drama that creeps up and closes its vice-like grip on you, leaving you shaken. Sinha’s is pure genius as he weaves his magic with fantastic characters whose lives come together to make meaning in the ‘Bas Itni is baat’ matter of a slap that would otherwise have been taken in its stride. The film revolves around just one slap that an irate husband dishes out to his wife at a party.Here, it not just breaks up a marriage but lights a spark that has potential to derail patriarchy and entitlement that have been taken for granted for decades in India.

1.       “Thappad” is not about domestic violence and nor is it about absolute misogyny. The shock value of the film lies in how it exposes an unsaid rule in marriages in India. Women are conditioned to accept certain things and learn to accept and ‘settle’ in. Sinha is brilliant in the manner in which he brings this alive, not with a profound exposition of violated rights or a loud harangue of violence. Instead, he brings together an independent set of characters whose lives merge to put the spotlight on what ensues after Amrita’s (Tapsee Pannu) husband slaps her in a fit of frustration at his career woes. There is the domestic help who is regularly beaten by her husband, the older lady who gives up her passion for music to raise the kids and look after the home and the young couple who discover a mis-match of values.

Sinha makes us see reality with the clever scenes that depict the morning routine in the household – the newspaper boy, two bottles of milk delivered at the door-step, water in the pan boiling for tea with grated ginger and the lemon grass leaves being snipped and that moment of solitude for Amrita as she sips her cuppa on the terrace. And then the scene where she hands over Vikram’s (Pavail Gulati) lunch, wallet and phone without fail as he leaves for office. These scenes are played over and over again for impact. In her own words, Amrita wants to become the best housewife in the world. For us, the audience, all this looks mundane and ambition-less but not for a moment do you see a look of remorse on her face. By then it is time for her to take the blood glucose reading for her mother-in-law and head to the dance class. Amidst all this, there are subtle references to Vikram and his priorities in life as he asks her to switch on the geyser or set the printer right. The lonely moments in bed make you wonder if this is what happy marriage is all about but that’s the last thing on Amrita’s mind…till the Thappad turns everything upside down. The slap actually opens up all the unfairness in the relationship that was earlier being swept under the carpet of convenience!

2.       Tapsee, who is emerging as arguably the best character actor currently, puts up a stellar performance as Amrita, displaying a full range of emotions – happy, satisfied, affectionate, caring, wronged, anger, hurt and self-righteousness. She is brilliant in her portrayal of Amrita, first as the housewife who tries hard and is content with her life and her dreams albeit linked completely to her husband’s plans, later this turns into shock, anger and indignance at the slap, resolute in her decision to separate from her husband and finally full of conviction in her mind with regard to bringing up her child as well as her equation with her mother-in-law. That one interaction with Tanvi Azmi is worth a million dollars! Supporting Tapsee is a stellar cast that does a wonderful job as well. There is Ratna Pathak Shah, Kumud Mishra, Tanvi Azmi, Diya Mirza and perhaps the best of the lot, Pavail Gulati who carries off the role of the husband exceedingly well. I really enjoyed the short cameo by Ram Kapoor as the lawyer for Vikram; his cold, calculative and shrewd eyes are what make him stand out in that role!

A special shout-out to the father-daughter relationship that is very well depicted. Amrita finds support solely from her father and draws the courage to take the tough call. Kumud Mishra plays the role with aplomb – he is calm, restrained and feisty all in his role as the father who dotes on his daughter.

3.       “Thappad’ stands out for the low-key treatment all through. There is zero histrionics; even the slap is not hyper-blown up and it is only the next morning that you see Tapsee hyper active as she moves the furniture around. There is a phase where Amrita is coming to terms with that has happened and then she finally makes up her mind. She tells Vikram plain and clear that she doesn’t love him anymore and that is it. Earlier on in the film, the director resorts to subtle means to show how Vikram is actually a trifle self-centered as he remains caught up in his career dreams. This is the bane of young upwardly mobile men today; the big assumption is that the woman’s dreams are subsumed within the career and life aspirations of the man!

4.       The film makes you ponder at various points – for example, Dia mirza comments “Forming relationships is easy; sustaining them is tough” or when Amrita finds even her family members and her lawyers asking her to reconsider and she says, “Truth has repercussions, but so does falsehood” and convinces her lawyer to press ahead with the divorce petition. At another point in time, Amrita says that the only two things she wanted were respect and happiness. The word respect is perhaps the most misunderstood term in India – you treat the newly wed bride as Lakshmi and usher into the household in that manner – this is welcome but not respect.

5.       “Thappad” stands out for holding a mirror to the society that we live in today. The story itself is so tucked away that you don’t even look at finding it. The morning after the Thappad, Vikram holds Amrita’s hand and attempts an explanation but does not say sorry. In a different context, Vikram says, “Amu, I don’t want to stay in a place where I’m not valued” and again, “Amu, I tell you. Put your bloody foot down in life.” – subtle cues almost in parallel to what might have been going on in Amrita’s head. At another level, her mother-in-law says “Thoda bardasht karna seekhna chahiye auraton ko” or when Vikram is trying to appease her “Ab ho gaya naa”. What is poignant is the fact that both families are depicted as cultured and high on values. For example, Vikram gets back out of the car to go back and touch his father-in-law’s feet even as he leaves after a fight. So also, the relationship between Amrita and her mother-in-law is tender and affectionate. Quite clearly, it is not lack of good upbringing that has led to this stand-off.

Thappad is what I call a milestone film; one that will emerge as a marker for change in our society. It is what makes you reflect on how we have been successful in evading the elephant in the house by taking things for granted. Time to reflect, contemplate and act perhaps. For now, full marks to the master craftsman Anubhav Sinha in putting together a film that “Zor ka jhatka, dheere se lagaye”! I would rate this a clear 4/5. Folks don’t miss “Thappad”