Plot
Amrita
(Taapsee
Pannu)
is
an
'adarsh
patni'
who
begins
her
day
by
serving
tea
to
her
hubby
and
then
escorting
him
to
his
car
to
hand
over
his
wallet
and
packed
lunch,
as
he
zooms
off
his
car
to
earn
a
living.
She's
also
an
'adarsh
bahu'
who
is
supposed
to
check
her
mother-in-law's
blood
sugar
levels
and
supervise
the
kitchen.
In
between
her
daily
routine,
she
squeezes
out
some
time
to
enjoy a
cup
of
herbs-infused
black
tea
and teach
classical
dance
to
her
neighbour's
daughter.
One
day,
Amrita's
husband
Vikram
(Pavail
Gulati)
who
is
on
the
cusp
of
a
big
promotion
at
office,
throws
a
party
at
their
house.
Things
go
ugly
when
he
misdirects
his
rage
over
a
sudden
turn-of-events
and
ends
up
slapping
his
wife
in
front
of
all
the
guests.
The
public
humiliation
shatters
Amrita.
Further,
when
the
'fateful
slap'
is
brushed
off
as
'ek
thappad
hi
toh
hai',
she
decides
to
stand
up
for
her
shattered
pride
by
choosing
to
walk
out
of
her
'loveless'
marriage.
To
offer
a
broader
prospective,
director
Anubhav
Sinha
introduces
other
characters
which
include
a
single
mother
(Dia
Mirza),
Amrita's
lawyer
(Maya
Sarao)
who
is
in
a
sham
marriage
and
a
housemaid
(Geetika
Vidya
Ohlyan)
who
is
regularly
subjected
to
domestic
violence
by
her
husband.
Direction
After
Mulk
and
Article
15,
Anubhav
Sinha's
affinity
for
socially-relevant
theme
continues
with
Thappad.
The
141-minute
long
social
drama
poses
some
relevant
questions
that's
seldomly
addressed
in
the
society
when
it
comes
to
unfair
marital
norms.
Without
resorting
to
any
melodramatic
treatment,
the
director
sheds
light
on
the
sexism
rampant
in
Indian
homes
and
how
it
has
been
normalized
over
the
years
in
the
guise
of
"thoda
badarsht
karna
sikhna
chahiye
auraton
ko".
On
the
flip
side,
the
slow-paced
narrative
especially
in
the
first
half,
might
bother
some.
The
unimpressive background
score
too
makes
us
deduct
some
points.
Performances
Even
in
a
restrained
character
like
Amrita,
Taapsee
Pannu
makes
a
loud
impact.
Her
transition
from
a
vulnerable
woman
to
someone
who
refuses
to
lose
her
self-esteem
makes
for
a
compelling
watch.
Pavail
Gulati
as
the
highly-ambitious
husband
delivers
a
confident act
and
holds
his
own
in
front
of
a
powerful
performer
like
Taapsee.
Kumud
Mishra
and
Ratna
Pathak
Shah
as
Amrita's
parents
give
you
many
heartwarming
moments
in
the
film.
Despite
being
laden
with
a
half-baked
role,
Dia
Mirza
lends
some
simplicity
to
the
narrative.
Geetika
Vidya
Odhyan
is
in
a
top
form.
Maya
Sarao
impresses
in
parts
and
pieces.
Naila
Grewal
who
essays
the
role
of
Swati,
Amrita's
future
sister-in-law
too
adds
to
the
narrative
with
a
strong
performance.
Technical
Aspects
Soumik
Mukherjee's
camerawork
effectively
flirts
with
the
thought-provoking
theme
of
the
film
to
capture
the
required
mood
and
setting.
Yasha
Ramchandani's
editing
could
have
been
tauter
to
make
it
a
more
compact
film.
Music
'Ek
Tukda
Dhoop'
beautifully
blends
with
the
narrative
of
the
film.
However,
Thappad
disappoints
when
it
comes
to
the
background
score.
Verdict
In
one
of
the
sequences
in
the
film,
Piyush
Mishra
tells
Taapsee
Pannu,
"Kahi
baar
sahi
karne
ka
result
happy
nahi
hota," when
the
latter
hesitatingly
asks
him
if
she
is
right
with
her
choice
of
decision.
Just
the
same
way,
Thappad
too,
dares
to question
the deep-rooted
patriarchy
and
societal
norms.
But
thankfully,
it
manages
to
hit
the
right
notes
to
start
a
dialogue
when
it
comes
to
calling
out
the
wrong
and
unfair
notions
in
the
society.
We
give
3.5
stars
out
of
5
for
Taapsee
Pannu's
Thappad.