Thappad

Amrita has given herself entirely to her marriage. At a crowded house party, in front of everyone, her husband slaps her. Everyone tries to shrink the incident; she does not, and asks for a divorce. The film is about what follows, the crack that one slap opens. Anubhav Sinha directed and co-wrote with Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul. Taapsee Pannu plays Amrita, Pavail Gulati her husband, with Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Dia Mirza and Kumud Mishra. The structure is deliberately layered: the same problem is tracked in parallel across women of different classes, from the domestic worker to the lawyer. Its timing was unlucky. It opened on 28 February 2020 and had only a few weeks before the pandemic closures; against a budget of 24 crore it took around 44 crore. The awards told a different story: seven wins at the 66th Filmfare, the most of any film that year, with Pannu named Best Actress. Who it is for: viewers who want domestic violence treated beyond the physical injury. Who it is not for: anyone wanting quick resolution; the film is slow on purpose.