Movie Review: Thappad - An examination of domestic violence only mildly weighed down by Bollywood formula
at a downtown Toronto in a bit of a daze. There had been a great deal of buzz around this latest film by Anubhav Sinha, whose previous works in recent years have taken on issues such as Muslim identity and Indian nationalism inThappadfeatures Amrita , a dutiful young housewife in New Delhi, who has given up her dream of being a classically trained Kathak dancer to perform daily chores for her husband Vikram instead.
Amrita does all this with a smile. This is how many young Indian women are brought up—to become indispensable to their husband’s lives, usually at the cost of their own personal aspirations. Amrita gets a rude awakening to all that she’s given up one night. During a party at their home to celebrate his success at work, Vikram slaps Amrita—in full view of the people in attendance. As Amrita’s domestic help Sunita later remarks to her abusive husband, “I thought only women like me got hit.
Many people had already seen the “thappad” in the trailer for the movie, so there was no shock value invested in that moment. Instead, the movie builds up to the slap and its repercussions, showing us just how normalized such behaviour is, and the many ways in which male privilege works in society—South Asian or otherwise.isn’t simply a compendium of regressive attitudes.
Given all these nuanced discussions around structural and other inequities that allow for a slap to be considered a minor issue, and the way in which the pace of the movie mirrors Amrita and Vikram’s character development,is disappointing in how it sticks to a tired Bollywood formula—a lot of expositional dialogue that ends up hitting you on the head. There’s also the requisite lecture at the end, where Amrita explains her motivations.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Torrance police kill woman during domestic violence callAuthorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a woman in Torrance.
Read more »
Celebrate International Women's Day With Shop BuzzFeed's Adorable Merch For A Good CauseFifty percent of profits go to the Shine Foundation, which provides financial education for domestic violence survivors in women's shelters.
Read more »
How Britain’s Train System Is Helping Domestic Abuse VictimsDomestic abuse victims now have access to free train tickets to take them to safety, thanks to the 'rail to refuge' initiative.
Read more »
Jennifer Lopez Wore a Casual Version of That Iconic Versace DressWow.
Read more »
Jennifer Lopez Wore a Casual Version of That Iconic Versace DressWow.
Read more »
Pro-gun safety Brady group endorses Joe Biden for presidentPro-gun safety organization Brady: United Against Gun Violence endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president Sunday, citing his 'deep and consistent commitment to ending gun violence in the United States.'
Read more »