Thappad story amrita's 'taapsee pannu' world comes crumbling down when her fiercely ambitious husband vikram pavail gulati lands a mighty slap across her face at a party that was supposed to celebrate his success in the corporate world will amrita whose life so far has revolved around vikram's needs wants and dreams stand up & speak up against this humiliation in public
Thappad review hailing from a loving and supportive family in delhi & trained in indian classical dance amrita's life could have taken different course but she harboured the dream of being the best housewife ever even if that meant giving up on her passion for dance vikram is a go getter & has his mind & heart set on his goals and he will do everything in his capacity to achieve it but in a moment he realises that his big dreams are about to get shattered blame it on office politics vikram does the unthinkable his pent up frustration finds an outlet in his committed wife in the form of a thunderous slap that's witnessed by loved ones from both sides & this sparks the beginning of an ugly emotional battle which goes beyond domestic violence while the uncalled for incident makes amrita delve upon & question her life choices and their marriage vikram continues to live in denial and wonders how just one slap is turning out to be a life changing moment
Anubhav sinha's two hours & 21 minutes long social drama which is made for a society that rarely talks about the emotional and psychological effects of domestic violence is set to spark debates and discussions on various ground one stress fuelled slap at a party takes the form of a full blown conversation pertaining to the unsaid rules of marriage where women are constantly reminded ki ghar zyada zaruri hain and that their actions will always be determined by log kya kehenge & if it is acceptable for husband to get away with what he considers one casual thappad because he was fuming with anger
Film takes its own sweet time in expressing the dynamics of amrita vikram's arranged marriage and how the two of them manage to blend in well with each other's financially imbalanced yet likeable families sure vikram loves his wife but he has made a monster out of his career goals which the better half supports and harbours with all her heart even before the conflict arises you can see an uber happy taapsee making plans of a big blue door at their future london apartment naturally when the slap happens her world turns over and even both sides of the family are divided on what is right what is wrong & how much is too much & protocols of marriage in our Indian setting irrespective of various views thrown at her amrita is fiesty & resolves to channel the inner fighter in her and stands up for what she truly believes in that even one slap is outrageous & not okay
Thappad isn't just a film aimlessly ranting about borderline domestic violence it brings to light the years of conditioning that a woman is subjected to by her own family and the society that she lives in other than the aforementioned couple there are other women in focus too one who is bearing the brunt of a family's name & legacy one hung up on the idea that marriage is ultimate destination one coming from the poorer section of the society who is compelled to believe that getting thrashed by the husband is the norm & one who has loved & lost a fine husband & is now struggling to find a replacement who outdoes the former Sinha manages to intertwine all these stories & juxtaposition them with one another at right junctions without being too in your face about it subtly works beautifully as stark contrast in their lives unfold
Taapsee as the submissive wife who suddenly undergoes an ocean of change within her is a firecracker of a performer in this drama in one scene where she bids goodbye to a crucial character taapsee delivers speech that is cathartic to its very core her portrayal is restrained but at same time in every scene she exposes a gamut of emotions pain disgust regret & rage without saying too much If that isn't a stupendous performance we do not know what is pavail gulati as determined corporate slave with very intense life goals pulls off brilliant performance you will want to hate him for his flaws but his character is no less complex than the rest of them kumud mishra stands out as amrita's father an ardent supporter of his daughter & at most times he is the only one who sticks up for her mishra's character reinstates why for a lot of daughters their father is their hero tanvi azmi & ratna pathak shah as amrita's 'mother in law' & mother respectively play their roles to a T that of being the torchbearers of matriarchal mentality and trying to instill the same in the women of the house however maya sarao who plays the high profile lawyer nethra jaisingh is weakest link in the film not that she is bad but others are so good that she gets overshadowed by some real power packed performances
Music of the film by anurag saikia is beautifully melancholic in tone and blends in with the narrative it is safe to say that anubhav sinha has rendered his career best in this strong worded social drama he deserves an applause for the depth handling of the various characters in the film their greys complexities dilemmas without ever getting too loud overbearing or trying too hard to make a statement yet film drives home solid point & leaves you with enough to ponder upon fine & nuanced writing by sinha & mrunmayee Lagoo deserves special mention as that is what takes film notches higher
To sum it up thappad is a silent slap on our society's age old belief shaadi mein sab kuch chalta hain but honestly should it be that way & that is what we need to start talking about now
Comments
Post a Comment