User Reviews

Once in a while, a director decides to create a movie which breaks social norms. We have no right to abuse someone mentally or physically, even if it is just a single episode and it's better to part ways. First of all thanks to Anubhav sinha for creating such a flawless movie. The movie is well written and well directed. Every dialogues are meaningful. The beautiful part of the story is, there are too many stories weaved perfectly into a frame,which could have gone easily wrong. Each sub stories are beautiful in their own ways. Such brilliance is rare. Coming to performances, Taapsee excelled again. It's nothing new for her. She is such a brilliant performer. Pavail gulati was perfect in his own ways. Kumud mishra, a father with a lion heart; Ratna Pathak, a mother worried about society; A regular brother ; A socially suppressed mother in law; A lawyer fighting injustice from within her family; Dia Mirza ,a single mother with a will of her own; Geetika Vidya , a maid who just wanted to be a house wife; Manav Kaul, a bully. All these characters were flawed, yet so beautiful and perfectly portrayed. This movie is about performance and a strong story with a great message.

Rating SPEAKS louder than movie itself!!! Any man who felt uncomfortable watching this masterpiece will end up giving 1 star!!! Please grow up!!!!

This movie is thappad on our patriarchal society!!

I just watched 'Thappad' on the date of it's release and must say, I was blown away. The acting, the direction, the subtlety with which this eventually hard hitting film has been made is mindblowing. I cannot say enough good things about Taapsee Pannu. She is a sensational actress. The way she portrays happiness and melancholy is a sight to behold. As a viewer, I felt happy when Amrita was happy and I felt her sadness when she was struggling. In the end, the film gave a very important message too. without the stereotypical Bollywood-ish happy ending. As a male in a theater which was incidentally dominated by females, I was privileged to watch the movie which at first glance might seem to be geared primarily towards females but is actually geared towards our society in general.

This film deserves an 8 but I am generous with 10. Thrice my reviews which got more than 100 likes got deleted. Must have offended the parents who consider daughters as somebody else's property and sons as true heirs.

The film is well acted n directed. It is for the first time that an Indian movie has dealt with a subject about patriarchal mindset which has this chalta hai ( it's ok for females to be subjugated) attitude.

According to the national crime report, most murders happen between couples who r not able to divorce cos of the medieval mindset that marriages needs to be preserved until death, no matter even if it's an abused one.

Speechless!! A must watch movie!! Beautiful part of movie is Men are not villain, Patriarchy is for which men and women both are responsible. This movie is as good as Marriage Story but the sad part is our country has limited audience to understand. I saw 6.1 which is disheartening and an insult to this film. Kudos to whole team specially to writer and director. Please continue to make such films.

A movie which can't be reviewed.

It's shaken me to the core,chills & goosebumps were a constant and I still feel them whenever I think about this masterpiece !

I felt uncomfortable, uneasy & was literally sinking on my seat and that precisely is what this movie wants you to feel while showcasing certain aspects of life which, at least I, personally never even thought about, forget about considering them to be wrong. No, I'm not talking about that 1 SLAP, nopes. It's much more, so much more,something which we as humans just seem to not even think about !

This movie hits you hard,bluntly and way too severely. It's just cut through the very foundations of my basic morales,almost each & every dialogue is like a knife, piercing through your body.

Taapsee has delivered her best performance,you'll feel every bit of her emotions, cry with her, feel whatever she's going through completely ! A HUGE SALUTE TO HER for doing this "highly required" movie ! Kumud Mishra is excellent as always & I loved the acting of the entire cast !

Anubhav Sinha is just the perfect director for this, I'm surprised being a male, he could actually make this one so hard-hitting & lethal in it's message deliverance.If you loved Article 15,you'll cherish this one ! Specially during the most important scene of this movie, when it's about to happen, you know it's coming yet when it occurs,it'll send shivers down your spine. Terrific work ! And I'm surprised a male writer could pen down this script thus breaking the unconventional notion that only a female can relate to such horrifying yet true issues so deeply !

It's truly brilliant, I just couldn't ask for anything more,it's made me think so much,made me feel inferior in ways I can't even describe properly and left me speechless !

It has so much to ponder over,I'll be thinking about it for quite a few days.It made me emotional,teary-eyed and was terrifying in unimaginable ways.

PLEASE,PLEASE, PLEASE GO & WATCH THIS MOVIE ! Every male needs to watch this and so does every female. The society needs this !

Rating - 5/5 (Feels so proud to see a movie making a breakthrough in stereotypical and orthodox society with primitive prejudices)

Lastly, this movie has changed me as a human,my perception towards feminism & opened my eyes to the horrendous injustice unknowingly being done in the society)

Try to watch it with atleast one female or discuss this movie with one,if you're a male,as you'll surprisingly realize so much more this exceptional piece of art has to offer !!

Not all men are alike true but that's not the purpose of the story to show..... The right questions are asked and subtly answered. The lawyer's role was weak in acting. Everyone else was phenomenal.

"Thappad" is undoubtedly one of the most important films made by India in this century. I put it in the same class as 20th century's 'Mother India'.

In a patriarchal Indian society that we live in, the movie highlights the plight of every woman who is just "giving" everything to the family she has moved in after marriage. Our male dominated society constantly puts the problems of man of the house first, while continuing to ignore a woman's basic needs of dignity and respect. All she wants is respect and happiness. Most of the Indian women continue in their marriages despite the physical and mental abuse they go through. They leave their family behind and come stay with the man after marriage. Yet they are expected to "let go" when they are disrespected or abused in the very same house. Why can't a woman receive these basic core needs in return? When she is mentally affected, can she not to take some time off her household duties and go stay with her parents? Yes, she can.

An important scene is also shown where one of the male characters apologizes to his girlfriend when he realizes he did a mistake and she forgives him with tears. That's all it takes to mend a relation - a genuine apology from heart. Why can't men do this?

Kudos to the entire team of "Thappad" for bringing such as important topic to mainstream.

Shows beautifully that women themselves can get empowered and get respect when they value themselves. It is a little slow otherwise would deserve higher ratings

Before we review this over-hyped piece of garbage, let us put certain "perspectives" in place, especially in the Indian context: 1. Being a housewife is a "sacrifice" and a "torture" as compared to being a working wife. 2. Devoting time to one's family is a "challenge" and an excuse to weep / grumble / scowl. 3. All men are boors. 4. Men have all the good things in life. They do not sacrifice their hobbies, personal interests etc, for the sake of a career and earning money in this cut-throat world. Their struggles in the professional world mean nothing. 5. If a woman reacts, physically or otherwise, it's her right, since she is the "victim." 6. If a man reacts, physically or otherwise, it's because he is the villain of the piece. 7. The Indian housewife's story is the eternal sob story, although her contribution to the family (leave aside earning) is much lower than the comparable western woman's, who does everything imaginable, because her conditioning is like that.

Now coming to the film itself, we see sub-stories of couples, all of which have "sacrificing" women and insensitive men. However, one sub-story spins out of control, as during the hurly-burly of a party, a husband slaps his wife. No doubt it is bad. But we have to see the context of the moment. The husband means no harm, he has no issues either way - he actually loves and depends on his wife, but he gets into an argument with a colleague which turns ugly and the wife drops into the middle of the brawl. Now, in such a situation, anybody could have got hurt. Unfortunately, in this case, it is the wife. And therein starts the rigmarole of domestic violence, legal separation, divorce, hidden skeletons in cupboards, grim faces, sad looks, martyrdom feelings. In another sub story, a senior lady lawyer apparently has a fling with a restaurant chef, because her husband, who is a Judge, btw, is not that.. uh .. good. It is not clear, why he is bad. But the fling is justifiable, nevertheless.

In another sub-story, we see an aged couple, with the mother complaining how she left singing and dancing to be an ideal housewife. Heck, most boys leave their sports interests, singing, dancing and guitar playing, once they get out of college and get busy in earning a livelihood and associated family pressures. But no matter. If a girl leaves these, it is another supreme sacrifice.

This film is so skewed that one can write an essay on its loopholes, and yet be incomplete. Such films play important roles in sexual stereo-typing and become a rallying point for social media affectionados and Twitterati. They have no substance whatsoever. No message to give. No entertainment worth the name. Only an endless 2 hour journey of moralizing, sermonizing and glum faces of characters suffering from matyrdom syndrome.

'Thappad' (Slap, in literal translation) is even better than I expected it to be. Director Anubhav Sinha is known, of late, for his issue-based films (some would call them agenda films, and these so-called agenda films are being helmed by several of our Bollywood directors, of course with varying degrees of success) and this one is no exception, but excuse me for saying it out loud: 'Thappad' is his very best (yes, it's even better than his own 'Mulk' or 'Article 15'). The nuanced writing, the sensitive and balanced treatment, and the superlative performances of all the members of the cast make it one of the best films of the year, and of recent times; it is going to be talked about for a long time (it has that topical a subject), and far and wide.

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.

The plot is evident from the title "Thappad: Bas itni si baat". The film gives justification why the matter gets extended to divorce for the act. But, the Director went to over dramatization where every female character except the school girl were portrayed as a victim to some acts of male. That made the film one-sided and more of male bashing. And I have no idea why Tapsee Pannu's expression is pale and dull after the slap. I mean had she decided to take the step of divorce, why still her expressions are sad? Is she repenting her decision? Hope there is a better film from the combo the next time!!

While being associated with the socially sensitive issue of domestic violence, this film stays true to the story of the housewife and remains light hearted. An amazing watch with family as well as children. Kudos to Taapsee Pannu and Anubhav Sinha for such a film. All of my family appreciated the movie as well as our co-audience.

Movie tackles the aspects about violence in relationship quite well and also shows about the same of others classes as well efficiently.

Superb movie .One time watch life long lesson.Dont let people spoil your interest.

The movie Thappad is a tight slap on the face of masculine society not with the violence, but with the logic and emotions. It is not right to hit a woman in a relationship and thi s movie explains the reasons very well in the course of it's runtime. Kudos to Anubhav Sinha and Taapsee for an impressive work. Would definitely recommend it to everyone.

This is not an average pot boiler... it is a movie that has several layers to it. It is a movie that makes you think and question your own value system. The star of the movie was Amrita's father. He embodied everything that one would want in one's own father or husband and yet he fell short. As a woman, can we actually define what we want in a parent or a spouse? The shades of human behaviour are so varied, it is difficult to define. However one message came through loud and clear, with a resounding 'slap'! Society is Patriarchal and that is the truth. The ease with which the 'Thappad' was delivered, maybe in a fit of anger ( all the more reason to question value systems) and the drama that plays out after that was the main body of the film. Juxtaposed against this scenario are several other relationships which bring the issue of patriarchy to the fore. Why is it so difficult to say sorry? In fact why does it not even occur to the perpetrator that he needs to say sorry? This comes through generations of conditioning. The mothers are questioned - how many of us are responsible for bringing up sons as 'sons should'? How many of us have taught our sons to cook and clean and taught our daughters to do mechanical repairs and such stuff? The movie is definitely slow and the screenplay could have been better. Tapasee Pannu is a good actor but I personally felt that she should have shown a little more spirit. But that is just me. There is not much cinematographic excellence but like I said, the movie makes you think...and that is what a good movie does! I recommend you go and watch the movie.

'Thappad' is actually better than most of the Bollywood movies we usually appreciate. Seeing movies like 'October' or 'Piku' having a rating of 7.5 and 7.6 respectively and movies like 'Uri' a rating of 8.4 genuinely makes me realize that the Indian audience doesn't make sense. Ever. That's why our movies don't do any good internationally. Because the audience here is more in love with propaganda than actually the movie and its technique. To praise 'Thappad' I just can simply say, it's the best Bollywood movie I've seen since October (2018). As an old guy of Bollywood, I can assure people that we don't usually get such well written, performed, act or shot movies that basically a good movie needs to be. With Article 15, last year Anubhav Sinha already set a landmark of Bollywood films but 'Thappad' is even better with fewer cliches. It's not just a movie of women empowerment or feminism. The way this movie portrays relationships I don't remember if I've ever seen such in Bollywood. The story is first and foremost about a woman protesting about that she can't be beaten by her husband even a slap, or even for once. The performance of Tapsee Pannu here is as good as Kristen Dunst in 'Melancholia' and that's a huge compliment. Also, I can't forget but appreciate the performance of Pavail Gulati. It doesn't matter if a man to a woman or a woman to man or a kid to kid, you can't ever beat anybody for anything. And that's a fact. (8.5/10)

The First half of the movie is written very precisely, How Amrita's (played by Taapsee) life is. Her Daily activities, her hobby, her relationship with her family & husband. Then the dreams which she wanted but gave up for the marriage. Till the incident of slap her character is written very active. But soon after that she just disappears from the movie in the second half. As whatever she did after first half was mere reaction to the situations, soon she became a passive character & what would have been an exceptional film ended up being a mediocre film.

The film is too much heavy handed. Okay women needs better representation but atleast show the other possibility. What about section 375 like films which was highly disliked by critics. Now this film is uncessasarily promoted by them despite being too simple and not exactly true.

Thematically this movie is very relatable n prevalent , so it would touch "human" soul for sure. It is more of an experience re experienced on screen....all the actors did Justice to their respective roles.

The movie could have been a bit faster.All the characters portrayed were extraordinarily good including the MIL which usually doesn't happen in reality when her son does wrong to her DIL. No overdramatic scenes were thrusted upon. Overall a very good movie which makes us recap n rethink about the role a woman plays in her own house,, in the society , sacrificing her SELF silently though being the BACKBONE of the family.

Thappad is a classic example of why a man should not make a woman centric movie. The movie is a depiction of a lot of social problems that a woman goes through and yet the central character is the most frivolous ever!

The basic premise of the movie itself is questionable. The question isn't really if a man can slap a woman or not, it's frankly a redundant one! The bigger question on the depiction is the significance of the slap and the depth of the central character.

Did she resent the slap because she felt it was wrong? Or was it because noone objected to it? Or was it because her husband never really said sorry? Or was it because it brought to life the jarring reality that she was unhappy with her life state and had sub consciously buried it?

My objection to the entire movie lies in the fact that she makes one slap the center of her life when she doesn't even bat an eyelid on the regular bashings of her domestic help!

She makes the entire story frivolous herself in the end when she tells her loving mother in law that she won't forgive her because noone objected and that she realized that she resented what her life had become (realization that its not even her favorite color). It puts into question a woman's willing sacrifices to build a household which become the source of resentment by a single slap! It also puts into question the very foundation of the relationship called marriage!

And while this frivolous story is unraveling in the centre, the characters facing much bigger social stigmas are left in the background like insignificant dancers in an item dance!

The director of this movie walked out his wife without informing her the day Dus (one of his many dumb movies) became a success. Till then his wife was being supportive of him and his failures. He didn't even give a penny to her for their child's support. I hate saying this but facts need to be shared. And now he is making a movie mocking other men who are far more responsible and sensitive than him. The movie was absolute rubbish.

Very important film, definitely worth a watch! Anubhav Sinha is one of the best directors to grace the Bollywood screens!