Thappad Analysis

Thappad

Directed by: Anubhav Sinha

Starring: Taapsee Pannu

The film starts with a title sequence which started talking about different characters and stories, I was wondering if the film was an anthology. It'd have been better if it was but it was disguised as a Taapsee Pannu centered film for the marketability of it. All the stories explored have equal arcs and if they had been treated equally, then it'd have probably been a better film. It is because the story of Amrita was getting repetitive. I remember in the interval I was wondering what more did I know about Amrita and her story other than what I could figure out from the trailer. 

The arguments of Vikram, his family members all seem so conveniently written, all they manage to say is 'a woman has to bear it' and 'what would people around say'. These don't seem like how a person who thinks it is okay to hit his wife would justify his actions. It was so obvious that he had to apologize the next day, he even understands that it was his mistake. But for the film to run till the end, he doesn't say 'sorry'. Probably the arguments could've been like old people saying that they used to try to fix things when they were broken and now everyone wants to buy new things as soon as they are broken. The arguments of the other side being so weak, it becomes a propaganda film. It is important propaganda, but it is still propaganda.

The first question that came to my mind when I watched the trailer of 'Thappad' was, if I think that I know what the film is trying to say from the trailer then why do I go and watch the film?

Some arcs are beautiful, Amrita's introspection is well done. But throughout the film, whenever Amrita and anyone else meets it is the same argument made throughout by both sides. I'd have liked to see what would Amrita have done if Vikram had apologized the next day and then if the people around ask her to move on, would she have called their advice stupid? That film would've been an interesting (Asghar Farhadi-esque film) to watch. It was interesting how they showed that it was Amrita's choice to be a home maker and that doesn't mean that she is to be respected any less. The other stories had interesting events happening, the lawyer and her husband who almost rapes her, the domestic help whose husband hits her everyday. The domestic help subplot was important because that indicates that they aren't being oblivious to what happens in some underprivileged places.