Thappad (2020)

Not a perfect film, but an important film nevertheless. My major complaints with it include the problematic class politics (the trajectory of the maid character) and how the sub-plots, especially Dia Mirza's, didn't really add anything substantial to the main storyline. Otherwise, Thappad is a must-watch. It gives out a very strong message of emancipation- specifically the kind that we must seek for ourselves as women living in a deeply patriarchal world. Taapsee does a brilliant job as Amu, and I could feel myself rooting so strongly for her in a way that rarely happens with such self-consciously "feminist" films. 

As usual, I had no choice but to stan Ratna Pathak Shah- that woman can literally do any role to perfection, making one forget where exactly they had seen her last. I also liked how Kumud Mishra's character was written. Yes, even the nice, progressive men have flaws, and no, it's never too late to try and rectify them. The music was not an annoying source of noise, unlike most recent soundtracks, and actually added to the overall atmosphere of the film. Another aspect that I appreciated was that the writing never got so preachy that the message was lost somewhere in the self-righteous smugness of the writers. Things felt natural, which led to me connecting on an even deeper emotional level with the film. 

In conclusion, I walked into this movie with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised at how sensitively things were handled. I hope Bollywood continues making good content like this, instead of the brain rot that was Coolie No. 1 (2020). Also, slay queen @ Taapsee. Very excited to see more of her work now, and cautiously have hope for Hindi cinema again. Inshallah, my girls will play well.