For it is not about just one slap but about a woman’s self-respect and dignity that is marred by any kind of violence. Thappad, throughout the duration of the film, asks all the right questions, rather makes you question yourself. Anubhav Sinha’s new release deals with “soft patriarchy”, uncovering all that is hidden behind being “progressive” and “liberal.” The film has beautifully brought out the everydayness of patriarchy highlighting how deep-rooted it is, so much so that it has been “normalised.” The film is also intersectional as it depicts how all the women in the film, coming from different classes and social milieus, are facing patriarchy in some way or the other.
However, it is the nuances of the film that prick your conscience and make it very relatable. Ratna Pathak Shah’s character in the film always, before beginning a sentence, says “mujhe koi believe nahi karega (no one will believe me).” It is then when one realises why the #MeToo movement stressed on believing the survivors’ narrative and how women are never believed for all that they have to say, their experiences and intelligence belittled.
The character of Netra Jaisingh, Amrita’s lawyer in the film, is another woman whose journey is worth noting. She is the so-called “empowered” woman who is a leading lawyer of the city, has won a case pertaining to sexual harassment, and who initially, in a very rational manner, tries to advise Amrita to sort out the matter with her husband and not file a petition.
However, listening to Amrita’s arguments and the reason behind her wanting to file a petition, Netra is reminded of how she herself is ill-treated by her husband, how her prowess as a lawyer is always sidelined, and her success either attributed to her being the daughter-in-law of a celebrated lawyer or the mercy of the opposing lawyer who might have lost the case deliberately. For Netra, Amrita’s case becomes a personal question and only when she finally leaves her husband to lead an absolutely independent life is when it dawns upon Netra that for every woman who is smashing the patriarchy in her own way, the professional always becomes personal.
The ultra problematic approach of men when it comes to dealing with women who oppose and resist is another facet of the film that requires attention. When Amrita refuses to drop the petition and go ahead with the demand of the divorce, it is a common understanding that her husband Vikram, as already advised by his lawyer, will eventually say in the court that Amrita was a manic depressive and an alcoholic – the last resort of men when they refuse to acknowledge the oppression they are subjecting women to.
How resistance and speaking up is equated to being “mad” and “crazy” is what this sequence of the film has tried to bring out, indirectly raising important concerns around the extremely skewed ideas of women and mental health, wherein a bold woman is automatically labelled as “crazy.”
Thappad is also a befitting reply to all those who, in their diligent efforts of being “objective” and “fair”, say that laws pertaining to dowry, domestic violence etc are “misused” by a few women. One can see in the film that it is Amrita’s husband who is ready to go to any extent to shun the truth (that he was the one who hit her), including going to the neighbour’s house and asking her to deny in the court whatever happened on the night of the party. He is open to the idea of slapping false charges against his wife to wiggle out of the soup he is in, and it is Amrita who wants to stick to the truth and not play dirty.
Amrita’s father is shown to be “supportive” of her and is a loving father for whom his daughter’s happiness and comfort is foremost. He, like all our loving and caring fathers, has been complicit in not letting his wife pursue her dreams; as nurturing children and creating a home were, and have been, the unsaid duties of a woman. Sacrifice and tolerance become synonymous to being a good woman.
As the plot progresses, the film also shows how there is unsaid solidarity and empathy among the female characters of the film. Be it in Sunita quietly keeping the extra money given to her by Vikram on the table during the pooja, or Amrita’s mother-in-law finally telling her that she does not have the right to stop her from leaving. This solidarity also shows in Swati standing by Amrita’s side from the very beginning, and Amrita retorting “mehnat”(hard work) when Vikram, on seeing Dia Mirza’s character drive past them in a new car, asks Amrita “isne phir se nayi gaadi leli, karti kya hai?” (she bought a new car again, what does she do?).
An interesting point to note here is how often men, on seeing a woman more capable and successful than them, get insecure instead of admiring or looking up to her.
It becomes important to talk about the end of the film at this juncture. I found the end of the film to be a little fairytale-ish, when Vikram realises his mistake and tells Amrita that “he messed up”, and Amrita’s father brings to his wife a harmonium so that she could resume her singing. While this fed into the whole narrative of how everything is good and rosy finally, as pointed out by a friend, maybe we need to create model men for others to follow suit.
There are many takeaways from the film, but an essential message is how any form of violence is unacceptable and should be nipped in the bud before it is perpetuated and normalised. As the men in the theatre shifted in their chairs and the women sat glued to their seats, I knew Thappad had done its job well.