Taapsee Pannu-starrer Thappad released on 28 February and while the film might be about a slap that triggers Taapsee’s character, we can’t ignore all the subtle traits of Vikram (played by Pavail Gulati) who’s so sexist yet so sanskaari that he will remind us of most men around us.
All through our lives, we have met men who think they are liberal, feminist and forward-thinking. But are they really?
When Pavail’s character, Vikram, sees Dia Mirza’s character driving off in a new car, he nonchalantly says, “Phir se nayi gaadi. Yeh karti kya hai?” (A new car, again. What does she really do?). Vikram’s reaction isn’t just a statement, it’s a judgment that he probably wouldn’t pass had it been a man driving the same car. But Amrita’s (played by Tapsee Pannu) savage and one word reply means so much more - “Mehnat (hard work),” she says. Her response underlines the often unacknowledged truth that a woman can work as hard as a man can and afford the same kind of luxuries.
Vikram checks all the boxes when it comes to society’s notion of a ‘good guy’. He takes his wife out for dinner, gets her gifts when she is unhappy and respects her parents. Remember how even when he is angry, he doesn’t forget to touch his father-in-law’s feet before saying goodbye.
On the other hand, he almost never acknowledges the fact that the reason why his life goes on smoothly is Amrita. She wakes up and makes sure everything is spic and span and taken care of, including his mother, so he can simply focus on work and earn money. But then that’s just taken for granted and it’s obviously a woman’s job to take care of the house and to make sure that the needs of every member of the family are put before her own, right?
Adding to this, there are statements like, “First learn how to make paranthas, forget driving.”
Ratna Pathak Shah and Tanvi Azmi’s characters encapsulate the women who make you question your decision. Ratna Pathak Shah’s character says, “Ab ladki divorce legi. Yahi reh gaya tha.” And Tanvi Azmi tells Taapsee’s character, “Har shaadi mein adjust toh karna padta hai.”
Remember Dil Dhadakne Do? Where Farhan Akhtar questions Rahul Bose when he says, “I have allowed my wife to work.” In quite the similar way, when Vikram goes to Amrita’s place to try and make things up to her and get her home he talks about how, according to him, the relationship between the two was not based on any conditions and how a foodie like him did her a favour by getting married, despite knowing that she can’t make mouthwatering parathas like his mom.
He is just a regular guy who thinks that his wife is “creating a scene” when she takes a stand for being disrespected. And he is so self-absorbed that when he is not treated well at work, he thinks it’s okay to even slap his wife in a fit of rage. So, even after he does that, you don’t hear a word like “sorry”, you hear him say, “Logg kya sochenge, agar tum ghar chhod ke chali jaogi?”
But this a man we have all met. He thinks he is entitled to treat his wife the way he pleases. He thinks he’s doing a great service by earning the money that he is. He thinks the world revolves around him and his actions should have no consequences whatsoever.
It took one bad situation at work to let it out on his wife and he takes months to apologise for it. And she, on the other hand, has willingly put all his dreams and ambitions ahead of hers.
Amrita’s brother adds to the turmoil when he thinks his girlfriend is adding fuel to fire by getting any legal advice for Amrita because it was just a slap and no third person, not even her own brother, should get involved in a matter that should be between the husband and wife.
Thappad is an example of how we, as a society, have internalised misogyny and sexism to the extent that we don’t even realise that there may be men who might not be the typical ‘bad guys’ but think that they can berate women for taking a stance. And there are women who will tell you that women have to compromise and move past instances that belittle them.
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