Thappad

Thappad is an emotional drama that is centred on a housewife Amrita, aka Amu (Tapsee Pannu) who questions the patriarchal mindset of society, of her loved ones and everyone around her when her husband (Pavail Gulati) slaps her one day before a houseful of guests. For the world, it’s just one slap, and the man should be forgiven. But for Amu, it’s a question of her self-respect. Even if it’s just one slap, he had no right to hit her, is her contention. The narrative touches upon the blatant patriarchy and hypocrisy in society, by weaving the perspectives of all the women in the cast – Amu’s mother in law, who wants to stand by her daughter in law but resists the urge out of loyalty to her son; her own mother, who says that women must learn to compromise; her maid, who is regularly beaten up by her husband; her brother’s fiancé who stands by Amu, only to realise that her own to-be-partner is as patriarchal as the rest; and even Amu’s lawyer, who is herself married to a blatantly masochistic man. There’s also Amu’s neighbour (Dia Mirza), a widow and an ace businesswoman, who pines for her dead husband who, as she tells her adolescent daughter, would never have hit her. The only person who supports Amu unflinchingly is her father (Kumud Mishra). The movie is a powerful indictment of society, its mindset, and domestic violence – even if it’s just one slap (Thappad). Starring Tapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Kumud Mishra, Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Dia Mirza, Manav Kaul, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, among others Directed by Anubhav Sinha https://youtu.be/jBw_Eta0HDM