Thappad – Was it only about the “Thappad’ ?

After a long time saw a movie that kept me riveted to my seat throughout. Lets take a peek into the movie.

It is very easy to believe that the movie is about a slap which Tapassee’s husband , in the heat of the moment , lands on her cheek in full public view. There could be a section saying that she over reacted to let such an issue stretch to a divorce despite the fact she discovered that she was pregnant and herself acknowledged that her husband would be a very good father. Here is my take on the movie.

The movie points out a very important thing. This feeling of so called male superiority is not only entrenched in the lower strata of society but across. When Tapasee’s domestic help who is beaten up by her husband tells her the day after the incident that she does not hate her husband so much is a telling reflection of the fact. Her high profile lawyer and her celebrity reporter husband shares no worse a relation that the help and her husband. Only they hide it from the outside world better

Everyone in the movie had a development need in this aspect. Let us take Tapasee’s parents.

– Her father is very liberal and supportive of her daughter and many would call him a model father and husband. But when Ratna Pathak, his wife, tells him that she also made sacrifices for the family as a woman and her husband did not try and correct it, the façade breaks. Him bringing her the harmonium at the end shows his repentance.

– Ratna Pathak as a mother should shoulder the maximum blame. When the incident occurred she was more concerned about saving the marriage, unlike her father. Her initial reactions only strengthened the hand of her son-in-law. Good thing is, she also turns a new leaf when she reprimands her son when he does something similar with his fiancée.

– Tapasee’s brother who initially was supportive of her high profile Jiju, to the extent nearly repeating his act with his fiancée for taking his sister to the lawyer, finally realizes his mistake when he breaks down in front of her and says he has to reboot. His fiancée also steps down from her strong views and decides to reboot together showing she also has learned to be more tolerant to a person who genuinely understands his mistake.

– Coming to the perpetrator, Tapasee’s husband. The issue was never about the slap like many would like to believe. It was his reaction post that which opens up the hollowness in their relationship. To him the act was trivial and even after the incident he was more concerned about the unfairness meted out to him by his office. He did not even properly apologize. Even if he had it would not have mattered as he did not mean it. He himself sums it up at the end and redeems himself somewhat when he says he would love to earn her back from scratch having quit his high profile role in UK.

– The boy’s mother and father also realizes their folly after their initial support to their son. His mother acknowledging in public at the end that Tapasee was correct in her reaction was a high point in the movie.

The only person who is perfect is Tapasee. I do not think she puts a single foot wrong in her actions. She is not vindictive and presses domestic violation charges only when pushed to a corner by her husband’s baseless allegations. Even then she seeks joint custody and not sole custody and does not want an alimony. She is firm but not dis respectful. She is assertive without being aggressive. It his through her strong will and actions she manages to change everyone’s mindset (including her maid).

I would end by saying that it is a very positive movie where one woman’s strong will and action manages to change many mindsets. It also shows that it is fine to walk out of a marriage if you do not feel loved. To me the biggest convert was the silent father-in-law (who looked feudal initially). The last scene showing him checking his wife’s blood sugar was a pleasant surprise.

Tapasee entrenches her credibility in the industry with yet another power packed performance. She is ably supported by each and every member of the caste.

I am sure when we look around we would find enough examples within our own family and friends on this aspect. The question is, are we strong enough to challenge the same and be the harbinger of change which the society desperately needs. ient definition