In a 1986 multi starer movie Karma - The jailor played by Dilip Kumar saheb slaps the villain Dr. Dang played by Anupam Kher. Dr. Dang then delivers the timeless dialogue that still rings in the minds of the movie buffs "इस थप्पड़ की गूंज सुनी तुमने..इस गूंज की गूंज तुम्हें सुनाई देगी...पूरी ज़िंदगी सुनाई देगी" Director writer Anubhav Sinha tries to deliver this message, this time to his audience in his latest drama - "thappad". He is kind of almost successful in echoing the sound of that slap metaphorically in the minds of the audience as they leave the theater brooding over the two hours of steady and thoughtfully crafted movie.
Amrita is a typical young educated, bubbly, dedicated housewife happily married to a typical young educated, ambitious, go-getter and successful guy who is about to take a big leap in his career. Both are happy and in love with each other, or at least that's what both of them think, dreaming to move to London as the big leap in his career approaches. And then something happens - that metaphorical Thappad which changes the environment completely for Amrita. The movie is a sensitively and craftily done tale of Amrita's dealing with her disappointment, anger and frustration that follows and in the process identifying herself as a person dealing with the innumerable stereotypes and deep seated notions and bias in the society. Sounds boring !? It is actually not that simple. There are other stories woven in this one, by peeking into the private spaces of multiple couples with varied backgrounds right from that of a chawl of a housemaid to the bedroom of a elite, successful, upwardly mobile lawyer all having a common thread - the dilemma that Amrita faces. She becomes the quintessential example case for women of this world to discuss and decide what they want from their lives. And there is the caring mother who in her anxiety to see her daughter settled forgets that even she is a women who sacrificed her ambition to manage her family.
There is that father of a darling daughter who is the quiet strength behind her steely resolve. There is a brother who is unwittingly exposed to his own manly biases in being protective of his sister. There is that not so commonly available mother in law who feels the pain of her daughter in law but is helpless in her own web of relationships - and responsibilities of keeping the nest together. There is this successful lawyer husband who lives in his father's world of "हम तो शहंशाह है - तुम क्या चीज़ हो" world. On the other extreme is the husband who routinely hits his wife believing that is how to keep her going while the wife probably has always been believing that its his love for him. Then there is a Bhabhi who is able to empathise with the protagonist and is more blunt and stronger than Amrita herself. You also meet a lady who is on the verge of exploring relationships outside her marriage to release herself from the suffocation of maintaining a good marriage. And yes not to forget a divorcee friend who is also a liberal single parent of a intelligent teenager who is quietly behind Amrita offering her strength. All in all its a intricate world of human emotions, paradoxes and complex relational challenges none of which have easy answers. And believe me I haven't listed them all.
The film is successful in helping the male mind among the audience take a pause and think about their own male biases - even for those who are the liberal types - like yours truly. It may actually be difficult to digest for whom these biases sound like mother nature. To that extent the movie will probably find more audience among the middle class housewife - even if just to comment later that the wife in the movie was being unfair and was creating a mountain of a molehill, The irony of the twists in the tale is that Amrita is able to sketch this powerful persona because of a quiet, firm, wise and loving male character - her father.
After a series of forgettable movies from Director-Write Anubhav sinha - he came into his own with the "Gulab Gang" since then he has already delivered "mulk" and "Article 15" - movies with powerful messages effectively delivered. These were probably not designed to be commercial successes but are movies that are ahead of times and will influence shaping up of future generations. In that sense these movies are close to yash chopra's "kabhi-kabhi" and "Lamhe". I will add "thappad" to this list. The movie compels you to think on a very sensitive, if not controversial, subject of male domination in a marriage. It treats the subject with empathy, sensitivity and yet firmness that it deserves. It brings out many shades of male domination in marriage so deep seated that some of them appear to us naturally correct - unquestioned even by women themselves. The film is able to bring out the difficulty of choice for women because in the Indian context she is married not just to a man - but to a family and a web of responsibilities that come with that fact. It awakens the society, the husband and amazingly even the wife to the reality that she is the "far granted" constant in a complex equation assumed to be available with known value.
Taapsee Pannu churns out another admirable performance in Thappad. She is one of the best in her generation who is both beautiful and can act in a variety of roles right from breezy light commercial singing-dancing-looking sexy roles like that of "Judwa", to the powerful, independent, individual characters like those in "Badla", "Pink", "Naam Shabana" or "Baby" and finally to the understated, quiet and exploratory characters like that in "Saand ki Aankh", the unpopular "Game Over" and now in "Thappad". She looks happy go lucky, bubbly. devoted and obedient at the start. Then she turns into vulnerable, undecided, hurt, angry and determined in the later half. She almost flawlessly depicts the journey from the vulnerable to the determined and self assured as the character deals with her insecurities. She is turning out to be the female version of Ayushman Khurana - experimenting with roles and themes and is certainly doing a better job of being a smita patil of her generation than Ayushman being the sanjeev kumar of the same generation. Most of the star cast Pavail Gulati, Ratna Pathak Shah, kumud mishra, Tanvi Azami, Dia Mirza, Ram Kapoor, Gracy, Naila are perfect in their roles and does a great job but this is a Taapsee Punnu and Anubhav Sinha film.
Most movies with such powerful themes do not know where and how to end the movie and so the climax in this one to appeared to be lost and fails to surprise. Thankfully however it is kept real and solidly with the message of the movie. For me the real bonus of the movie are two songs which will not be noted because the focus of its marketing lies elsewhere. Both "एक टुकड़ा धूप का अंदर अंदर नाम सा है" and "थोड़ी सी मै ऐसी हूँ, थोड़ी सी मै वैसी हूँ" are lyrically delectable and are sung very well by Ragav Chaitanya and Sharvi Yadav respectively.
Thappad has to credit its efficacy to good script and crisp dialogues. Some of them ring in for long after the movie is over "Just a slap पर नहीं मार सकता" "कई बार सही करने का result happy नहीं होता" "All marriages are deals. A contract between two people. ताकि शादी के लिए प्यार mandatory न रह जाये" "उस एक थप्पड़ से मुझे वो सारी unfair चीजे साफ साफ दिखने लगी जिसको मै अनदेखा करके move on करते जा रही थी" "तुम्हें क्या लगता है दुनिया की सारी शादियाँ प्यार से चलती है? Its an unfair deal of some sense of dignity and security." थप्पड़ has a must watch recommendation from me. Warning - its a difficult movie, its slow, low on entertainment and it will leave unanswered questions. But what the heck we should watch a few movies for intellectual stimulation and growth too. Go watch it.
