Thappad (Slap)

Movie Review (Hindi)

Nothing prepared me for the resounding slap! I knew it was coming but when it came it sent shock waves through me. Somehow it signaled the death of something beautiful.

Someone commented, “A slap is too little a thing to break up a marriage.” The slap, in fact, broke the dream of that ideal marriage. What is important in a married woman’s life?  A wealthy husband who looks at his wife as someone to look after his needs? A downright cruel husband who blatantly shows his physical power over his wife? How many slaps before one can call it cruel?

The movie was really thought provoking. The slap was merely a symbol for various other resounding hurtful slaps which the characters in the movie learn to live with.

Amrita the protagonist, played by Taapsee Pannu, delivers a hard message squarely in your face. The other women, mother played by Ratna Pathak Shah and the mother-in-law played by Tanvi Azmi have made peace with domesticity and its compromises. Amrita’s lawyer Nethra, played by Maya Sarao hesitates to fight her domestic battles and gets courage from Amrita’s demand of being respected and living a truly happy life. The woman next door, Shivani played by Dia Mirza, who lives with her teenage daughter, might seem alone, but is happy to live with the memories of her loving husband. The maid Sunita, played by Geetika Vidya, fights her wife-battering husband and emerges victorious.

Taapsee has been doing some good work in movies like Pink and Mulk. She along with the director, Anubhav Sinha, known for movies like Article 15 and Mulk, have nailed it in Thappad. Each character’s story weaves into one another seamlessly making it more hard hitting.

The early morning tea with lemongrass and ginger which is sipped at various points in the movie tells its own story. Its fresh fragrance lingers on as the movie signals a new beginning for all the characters.

Bala

Movie Review (Hindi)

I do try to catch up on movies that star Ayushmann Khurrana and I have not been disappointed. He takes on movies and roles that make sense even if the movie is mainstream Bollywood. After Andhadhun and Article 15, I watched Bala. I might have missed a couple in between but hope to see those sometime soon.

The movie Bala has a weakness and that is its meandering script. There are times when I zoned out from what was happening on screen. Missed the tightness in editing. Loved the music by Sachin-Jigar. 

Ayushmann was quite convincing as a young man struggling with his receding hairline. Having Saurabh Shukla and Seema Pahwa as parents only adds to the fun in watching. Though Yami Gautam and Bhumi Pednekar are good actresses, they could not shine on screen. Their characters did not get the scope to grow.

Carry on Ayushmann! I am sure you will not disappoint us with your choice of movies.

Article 15

Movie Review (Hindi)

I think films are a hit when they hit close to our hearts. 

We have had the Constitution since 1950 and even today Indians are yet to understand and accept its contents. This is rampant in areas where politicians, lawmakers and security forces are in cahoots, loving the power they seem to have over people who are essentially poor. Poverty opens the doors to all sorts of discrimination. It is easy to beat down a person already compromised.

The movie, Article 15, has drawn out this chasm in our society. When the protectors of law decide to side with perpetrators of crime because they feel empowered, all is lost. The protagonist, Ayaan, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, is caught in this power play even though he is an IPS officer. He has no idea about societal discrimination in the heartland of his country he is proud of. He is therefore, quite shocked when his staff at the small station he is posted in, state their position in society based on their castes. He is enraged when the Dalits are referred to as They, as though they were from another planet.

The movie is gripping in the way the story is told and is edited. There is a sense of menace and danger lurking in the corners and I at times felt engulfed by its shadows. How a gang rape is easily turned into an honour killing, how witnesses are forced to change their statements, post-mortem reports are messed with, criminals are sheltered and go missing and how the CBI botches up, are all intelligently played. That the leader of the underground Dalit force could be an educated young man who could hold an intelligent conversation was a brilliant move as was the piling up of carcasses and overflowing septic tanks.

The cast was brilliant in their roles as was the music, not the forget the opening with Bob Dylan's "How many miles must a man walk down ..."

I have been an Anubhav Sinha fan since Mulk. I now really look forward to more such movies that need to be screened all over the country.