In relationships, domestic violence, especially against women, is a complete no-no. The trick in this absorbing, objective film is that the incident where the husband slaps his wife is apparently a one-time fault committed in a moment of fury. Many watching this film, especially in view of the other terrible characters presented in it, know right away that for many women he could be quite a dream husband. A good guy overall, quite successful, working a prestigious, well-paying job, loves his wife, respects her parents, and never raised his hand on her except for this one time that he lost it. But he lost it after all. And this incident is powerful enough to shake the foundation of their life together.
Having mentioned the so-called qualities of the husband, it's easy to predict comments by those who symptahise with him and complain about the film's righteous moral standard, especially those living in India and, in all fairness, often just people living in the real world with full awareness that no such thing as perfect exists and sometimes, as he says, it happens; and that second chances must be given otherwise no marriage will ever sustain the test of time and life. Those critical of the wife's decision may also call her a privileged, spoilt urban woman who doesn't know what true struggle is, which is funny because it implies that common misdemeanors should be normalised because it's hard to fight them.
But the film puts the wife's mental state so well in context that you can really feel everything she is going through with great precision. The director clearly makes efforts to answer many of the questions viewers who disagree with the wife's reaction might have. It's not just the slap (which is enraging, and the way it's portrayed is absolutely phenomenal); as we all can see, it's actually more about everything around it from the husband's end - the carelessness, the indifference, the lack of introspection and regret, how callous he was not just towards his actions and her situation, but how self-absorbed he is throughout the process. Above all, his inherent position that he is higher in stature.
This film thus becomes a wonderful glimpse into a woman's mind. She knows that this incident is indicative of her position in his life, and it is a matter of her dignity and self-esteem, which she doesn't want to lose to someone who clearly doesn't deserve it. In one scene actually, the film's leading lady says she doesn't want to lose her value in her own eyes. It is a wonderful sentence which actually represents many of the cases of strong women who become battered wives and can do nothing about it, precisely because they gradually lose their own sense of self. In this regard, Thappad is a revolutionary film, and its heroine is a real heroine, who may inspire millions of women of different classes of society.
The film is a fascinating cultural insight into the new India, its changing face, and the generational differences between the older and younger members of each of the families presented. More than anything, we see that some things are not a matter of age or generations, but just a matter of morals and humanity, as seen in the leading lady's father, a man of high principles and a strong moral convictions. To achieve this, the film employs a host of talented actors who all work tremendously well as a group as well as individually to deliver the goods. The music, the cinematography and the setting are spot on. "Ek Tukda Dhoop" is a wonderful, poignant song which enhances the film.
Taapsee Pannu gives a winning performance in a role that requires her to work a lot with her inner self. She is nuanced and convincing. Her character is a true example of the right combination between fragility and strength. I just wish she had not overplayed at times the righteousness of it, but this is really a good turn. In the role of the husband, Pavail Gulati does exceedingly well. Dia Mirza is radiantly natural. Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak are quite good but Tanvi Azmi, as she does in most of her films off-late, is amazingly real and wonderfully restrained. While I didn't like Taapsee's monologue to her, it was still worth watching for Azmi's brilliant eyes. Watch Thappad, for many reasons.
