“When did Anubhav Sinha become an auteur? ” I asked myself while watching his previous film Article 15. Nothing in his career prior had suggested to me that he could make a film with such power and such depth. His earlier films were entertaining no doubt, even the much maligned Ra. One, but they were also fleeting, not really challenging any notions perpetuated by countless Bollywood films of yore. But it seems around the time of making Mulk, he decided to channel his capacity to entertain to make films on important issues, resulting in films that resemble think-pieces while still being accessible to the common man.
Thappad begins deceptively, it’s opening bit where various couples are shown sharing Orange Candies suggesting an ensemble rom-com ala Love Actually, if one didn’t know any better. It’s supposed to make the audience feel comfortable, just like the heroine Amrita aka Amu (Tapsee Pannu), before the titular thappad (slap) forces a shift in the film’s momentum as well as an epiphany in Amu’s mind. The slap itself is not very harsh and Sinha doesn’t go for hysterics like blood pouring from the lip. Instead, all the impact of the slap is in the mind.
Some might accuse critics who have unanimously given the film positive reviews of just liking the film because it furthers their agenda, but I would suggest people who have formed their interpretations just from the trailer, or reading the synopsis to see the film still. Because, ultimately the film is a story about two families and the rift the slap causes. Even the husband who slaps is not a villain. All the characters, whether they be male or female, are drawn without any caricature expect for one or two, but more on that later. As the film progresses and gets into more implications of the separation it starts to resemble Marriage Story. Except of course this film has more characters and threads and the implications of the slap are felt by those surrounding the central couple. The canvas of the film is broad.
Too broad, maybe. There is the couple, their parents, Amu’s brother and his girlfriend, the family help and her family, Amu’s lawyer, her husband and the man she is having an affair with. This results in some characters getting the short shrift and sometimes you get impatient as to when we will return to the central characters. Particularly, Manav Kaul, who plays the lawyer’s husband feels wasted and his character is uncharacteristically one-dimensional. Rest assured though, the cast is fantastic. Kumud Mishra, Tanvi Azmi, Ratna Pathak all bring their A-game as parents somewhat confused as to what is going on with the couple. Debutant Pavail Gulati and Tapsee have a believable chemistry. Gulati’s Vikram is a career-driven man. You can see why Amu might fall in love with him, but also aren’t surprised when he takes his anger out on his wife.
Ultimately, Thappad is a film about why the onus of maintaining a family always has to be on the woman. Why always she has to be there as the supporting member of the family and why it can’t be the other way around. Thappad is a major work from a director who is on a hot streak.
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