Released in 2020 and directed by Anubhav Sinha, Taapsee Pannu starrer 'Thappad' is in the news again, three years after it's release.
The thought-provoking drama that addressed the sensitive topic of domestic violence and its impact on women, has been called 'shitty' and 'illogical' by a netizen on social media platform 'X', formerly Twitter.
What Was The Tweet?
While social media provides everyone with freedom of expression, it also comes with responsibilities. Forgetting which, social media user, @HypocriteAman__, took to 'X' and gave his unsolicited opinion about the movie 'Thappad' wrote, 'shittiest movie I've ever seen in my life, literally taking divorce for just one slap? logic died, her husband did wrong by slapping her but he apologised too and she could have slapped her husband twice in return, it's that simple. bull-sh*t concept, no wonder why it's a disaster.'
He also shared the movie poster with the text.
'Thappad' which translates to "slap" in English, revolves around the story of a woman who decides to take a stand against her husband after he slaps her at a party. Further in the film, we see her husband apologise.
Netizens React
The Twitter user faced a severe backlash from the social media community. Netizens slammed him for his regressive views and called him out for supporting a social evil like domestic violence. One user wrote, 'Anyone who thinks Thappad was a sh!t movie is part of the problem.'
Another user Akriti Sharma called out everyone who shared and engaged with the post. She wrote, 'My question is to the people quoting & replying to his post, giving him the engagement he ‘doesn’t’ deserve ~ Do you really think that someone who did not understand the plot in 2.5 hrs while watching Thappad, will understand it with your quote or reply he finishes reading in less than minute!!'
Another user highlighting the fact that it was that one slap that reminded the victim of all the inequalities and regressive comments she had endured all the past years wrote, 'The movie is not about 1 slap but the entire misogyny leading up to the point, even let's say if he was celebrating her and pampering her and lost control during an actual fight with her and slapped, to me it still justifies divorce.'
Misogynists Justify The Thoughts
While most people criticised and called out the man for his patriarchal, regressive ideas, some misogynistic freaks came out in support of the 'one slap'. One user, namely, @LuccyDevil, wrote, 'Just because of a slap she almost destroyed the career of him. It was totally fault of Tapsee who came between the fight of two people. He apologized for that slap but her ego.'
Another user, @SridharSrikumar, justifying how marriages are not easy and take compromises wrote, 'If she slapped him & then apologized then not part of the problem but her kindness & need to be forgiven. Yo marriage is 50:50 both got equal responsibility. It's not easy to be married. Hope you understand in your own case..'
Part Of The Problem
I remember watching the film with my mother and although I had buried the incident and the conversation that followed in my memory somewhere, this incident hit the chord again.
My mother, said, 'The divorce was not necessary. I am not saying what he did was right. But she is pregnant. They are a family. And he has apologized genuinely. He should have been given a chance.' I was shocked. I still am. I reprimanded her and told her that it does not matter.
Although one movie will not solve the problem, it is a start. People calling out Taapsee's character for opting for divorce after 'just one slap,' or having no forgiveness are exactly the target audience for these films.
Movies like Thappad tackle sensitive and thought-provoking subjects that may not be openly discussed in society. They bring attention to important social issues, raising awareness among audiences who might not otherwise have engaged with these topics. They spark a conversation where people come forward to share their opinions and personal experiences.
Views expressed by the author are their own
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