MOVIE REVIEW : Thappad (Slap)
Starring: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Dia Mirza
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Music Director: Anurag Saikia
It’s a simple but powerful premise. A single slap changes the life of a woman. Though not a perfect film—the second hour feels a bit stretched—Thappad is an important film, a silent slap in the face of patriarchy and entitlement. The consummate performances from the talented bunch of actors help in quietly driving home the message the director wishes to make. There’s no shrill drama here.
Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) is a cheerfully dutiful wife to Vikram (Pavail Gulati), an ambitious executive, and they seem happy together … until that fateful night when Vikram delivers a blow to her cheek in front of everyone at a house party. It’s the most crucial scene of the film, and brilliantly executed.
Though Taapsee Pannu is the driving force of Thappad—she is especially good in the exchange with her mother-in-law (a superb Tanvi Azmi) towards the end—the supporting actors leave more of an impact. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan is terrific as the talkative house-help. Newcomer Pavail Gulati, in the difficult role of the husband who can’t fathom why his wife is making such a big deal about a slap that he dealt her in a moment of misdirected anger, is a revelation. Dia Mirza gives a nice, understated performance as a widow.
So go watch Thappad. You will surely relate to many characters and situations shown in it. It will also make you uncomfortable.
TOP 10 SONGS
1. Dus Bahane 2.0 (Baaghi 3)
2. Muqabla (Street Dancer)
3. Haan Main Galat (Love Aaj Kal)
4. Pyaar Tenu (Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan)
5. Malang Title Song (Malang)
6. Shaitan Ka Saala (Housefull 4)
7. Dheeme Dheeme (Pati Patni Aur Woh)
8. Sauda Khara Khara (Good Newwz)
9. Ghunghroo Song (War)
10. Don’t Be Shy Again (Bala)
Baaghi 3
TOP 10 MOVIES
1. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
2. Baaghi 3
3. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
4. Good Newwz
5. Housefull 4
6. Bala
7. Malang
8. Thappad
9. Love Aaj Kal
10. Bhoot: The Haunted Ship
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