Mohar Basu mohar. basu@ mid- day. com After initiating a dialogue about the importance of consent in sex with Pink ( 2016), Taapsee Pannu has taken on another uphill battle with Thappad.
The trailer, which released yesterday, broke the Internet as women opened up on their own stories of casual violence in relationships and how it has unfortunately been normalised in our patriarchal society.
u201c Some films, like this one, stay with you long beyond the mere narration. I tend to lean towards stories that have a larger impact,u201d begins the actor.
The drama, which shines a spotlight on domestic violence, makes a strong point when Pannuu2019s character asserts that a stray slap inflicted on oneu2019s partner, even if it happens only once, is not acceptable. In a way, the Anubhav Sinha- directed venture is the much- needed antidote to Shahid Kapooru2019s Kabir Singh ( 2019) that was called out for its deep- rooted misogyny, but went on to mint money at the box office.
In one of its shining moments, Thappadu2019s trailer has a character claiming that a slap is also an expression of love u2014 a dig at the infamous line made by Kabir Singh director Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
u201c Flawed characters are not problematic, the warped messaging is.
Heroes are demi- gods here, so we need to be responsible about our messaging,u201d explains the leading lady, before adding, u201c That film reflected what their makers were; this one mirrors where we come from. Thappadu2019s trailer resonates [ with the female audience] because it reflects lived- in [ experience] of most women this country.u201d Over the years, Pannu has created her brand of cinema that shows women as real and feisty. Quiz her if damsels distress are passu00e9, and she says, can play a damsel in distress, but can never portray the woman who leaning on a man to get her act together.u201d u2018 Trailer reflects lived- in experience of most womenu2019 Proud to make the antidote to Kabir Singh in Thappad, Taapsee discusses why the promo of domestic violence drama resonates with a large section of the audience Sanjay fronts film on marital rape P16
