Thappad — A movie review
It's strange that my first piece of 2021 is on a movie — more strange when I am not a movie buff and when the movie is not extremely new. I happened to watch the movie Thappad yesterday; brilliant script and brilliant acting by many, especially Tapsee Pannu and others. If you still haven’t watched it, I would any time recommend it.
The life of a couple is shown (no kids yet) where the husband’s dreams become the dream of the family. And one slap making a radical transformation in that family. An oft-repeated question; was she making too much out of a slap?? And another oft-repeated (much implicitly) question is, what about the feeling and dignity of certain persons? What about their dreams? Are they not valuable? And Amrita is an excellent model of a woman…. gentle, calm, honest to the core, and desiring respect from others and self for her.
For me, the simple lessons are… Don’t tolerate bullshit from others, especially your closed ones, especially when they are in the senses. (Tantrums of an aged parent/grandparent or someone disturbed mentally is different). Don’t take others for granted. Learn to say Sorry (and feel it) when you commit a mistake. Forgiveness is a big gift of the other to me. I can’t demand it, it’s a gift.
Christianity stresses a lot about forgiveness. Developmental and behavioral psychology echoes the importance too. So was Amruta making too much out of a slap?? Three possible responses are…
- Yes, she was.
- No, she was a super cool example. She cares, loves. But she demands respect too, which can’t be exchanged for anything. She may have forgiven the husband (the movie doesn’t say whether she did or not, for me, her actions reveal that she has forgiven him) but that doesn’t always mean getting back to the old normal.
- I am not sure…
If you have already watched the movie (or else watch it), ask the same question to yourself, and see where you stand. And do reflect whether our standings need a change…
