96. Thappad; movie review

THAPPAD
Cert 12A
142 mins
BBFC advice: Contains  scenes of domestic abuse, infrequent strong language

Am I over-exaggerating or is in the case that Indian cinema has become less frivolous during the past ten years?
Of course, there is still the shouting slapstick of Punjabi films and occasional comedies of Bollywood but social issues seem to be much more to the fore than when I began the everyfilm challenge.
On Friday evening at Nottingham Cineworld, Mrs W and I were immersed in Anubhav Sinha's Thappad - a firm strike back at the domestic violence which has apparently been institutionalised in Indian culture.
It stars Taapsee Pannu who reassesses what she had believed was a happy married life after being slapped by her husband (Pavail Gulati).
To add to her humiliation, the assault happens in front of family and friends at a party to celebrate his promotion.
Almost all of her nearest and dearest try to persuade her that this is a one-off and lovely hubby says she should understand the pressure he is under.
But Pannu's character, Amrita, cannot simply move on because the blow has triggered festering doubts over her husband.
Indeed, only her father (Kumud Mishra) and sister-in-law seem to believe that she has the right to say that a red line has been crossed.
The latter puts her in touch with a lawyer (Maya Sarao) who is known for winning against the odds.
Thappad is another movie which takes too long to get where it is going,
Of course, the audience needs to see Amrita before the slap as happily supporting her husband and the manner in which they have fallen into an easygoing daily pattern but it is overdone.
However, after she is struck, it moves into a new and compelling direction.
Pannu's performance is so good because she is deliberately low key. Her hurt is etched across her face but so is the loss of trust.
The latter is the key to Sinha's movie. It leads to the question over whether one blow is one too many.
Right-minded people with think that goes without saying but too many will think forgive and forget.
They are the ones who should watch Thappad.

Reasons to watch: An important issue deftly handled
Reasons to avoid: Takes too long to make its points

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? According to the National Family Health Survey of 2018, 27 per cent of women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 in India. Domestic violence cases, where women reported physical abuse in rural and urban areas, were at 29 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

The final word. Taapsee Pannu: "We are trying to bring out the elephant in the room. Let's see how many discussions or how many awkward silences there are after people see the film." PTI

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