Thappad is an effective story of a woman who is not just against a single slap but the normalization of male entitlement, perpetuated by generations of conditioning, by both men and women of this society. Recently, I was at an INOX in Bangalore watching this great movie, and the cinematography was so emotional that I started weeping halfway through. I was holding the hand of the person next to me so hard because of all the emotions flowing through me, and at that moment, I decided I have to write a blog on this as soon as I reach home.
So, to give you context about the movie, I would like to say that the cinematography was par excellence, the way they depicted the Indian households without giving any room for misinterpretation is what makes the movie so great.
The movie starts with the backstory of five different couples, everyone enjoying an orange popsicle. Once the audience is introduced to all the characters, we see the life of Tapsee’s character (Amrutha) and her husband, along with different couples related to them. The movie describes the life of every Indian housewife and her role in handling the house so gracefully throughout the next couple of scenes.
The twist in the story comes when Tapsee’s husband throws a party to celebrate his promotion, and he slaps her wife amidst a heated conversation when he comes to know that he will be working for someone and that he isn’t the head of the so-called London office. After the slap, we can interpret that Tapsee is in shock and is afraid of her husband, but still, her entire family thinks she is over exaggerating and wants her to go back to the way it was.
Thappad, A Slap To Toxic Masculinity
Tapsee, being a strong woman couldn’t respect herself after what happened and decides to move out of their home for some time. Her husband, trying to manage the household and failing terribly, is unable to handle all the pressure of taking up her responsibilities so he files a legal notice to call her back. Reverting to this action, she files a divorce against him with the help of a lawyer. The case is then settled in court, and they part ways.
Now, the movie might be a little hard to watch for all those masculine men out there, but I have to make it clear that domestic violence is one of the worst crimes against women in India, and there isn’t much awareness about it—as everyone thinks it’s very common and that men have a right to hit their wives or girlfriends, but guess what? You don’t.
Women need to understand that they have invested their entire life to help someone else make their career and make a family, the least the men can do is respect you and treat you well. Bollywood plays a very important role in moulding the minds of Indians, and it also represents India on an international level. With more movies like Thappad, we can imagine a better situation tomorrow.
So, I hope you guys spread this message and help me raise awareness about this issue. I hope you have a great day and a wonderful life!
Thanks for reading. Cheers.