Here, we present to you a list of questions and elementary thought experiments that will act as your reference material after you have watched – THAPPAD.
Amrita
Character-Driven Questions
- When Amu says that it was her own choice to become a housewife, do you think it was really hers? Or do you think she was conditioned to not be ambitious?
- Do you think Amrita would have taken money from Shivani to teach her daughter Kathak?
- Sandhya (Amrita’s mom) was taught to always keep her family first even if it meant sacrificing her own dreams (of becoming a singer). She realised that this was injustice but did not change this when she herself became a mom. Why do you think so?
- Do you think Amrita’s reaction would have been different if she was a working woman?
Theme-Based Questions
Ambition
- Is ‘lacking ambition’ a gender neutral and a natural phenomenon? Or does it have something to do with one’s social conditioning?
- Why do women have the privilege to not be ambitious? And if so, is it even a privilege?
Masculinity And Femininity
- What do you think masculinity and femininity really mean? And are these ‘traits’ exclusive to the respective genders or can they overlap?
- Do the traits of dominance and passivity come naturally to men and women respectively?
A Happy Indian Marriage
- In the context of the movie, don’t you think the concept of ‘balance’ in an Indian household is actually flawed and wrongly glorified?
(men, generally tend to be aggressive and this has to be balanced by a passive wife)
- Why are women considered responsible to maintain the emotional equilibrium of a family? Why do you think they are taught to be more enduring and self sacrificing than their male counterparts?
Casual Sexism And logic
- What does casual sexism really mean?
Moments in the movie :
- Vikram’s remark – “Why do they let women drive?“
Does the statement that “women aren’t good drivers” hold any truth?
- “Amu yaar, yeh tumhara internet nai chal raha.”
“Amu yeh tumhara printer phir nahi chal raha hai”
- “Bina haath jalaaye paranthe banana toh seekh lo”
These comments are generally expected to be taken in a light manner and brushed off as jokes. But do you think Vikram would have taken it in as a joke if Amrita had made a similar comment to him?
Vikram
Character-Driven Questions
- “It is important to try and decode why you are with your partner? Is it because you are genuinely attracted towards them and love them for the way they are, or are you with them because they fit in that ‘role’ in your life because of their skills and qualifications” – Anonymous
Seen from this context, do you think Vikram wanted Amrita back because he genuinely loved her? Or was it because of the role she played in his life and filled in that ‘available’ spot?
- How much of his yearning to get Amrita back was because of the possibility of societal embarrassment?
- When Vikram sees Swati (Amrita’s brother’s fiancee) smoking, this is the conversation they have:
“I didn’t know you smoke.”
“You’re not supposed to know.”
“Does Karan know?”
“We kiss sometimes.”
Why do you think Vikram felt the need for Karan to know about her smoking habit?
Also, did you feel a tinge of reprimand in Vikram’s behaviour here?
- What would have happened if Vikram would have said sorry sooner?
Theme-Based Questions
- Do you believe boys are taught to be more ambitious and goal-driven since their childhood?
- What really is male ego? Do you believe that men are victims of male ego?
- Don’t you think despite one’s constant process of unlearning, once a tag is put on a guy, it becomes hard to remove?
Netra Jaisingh (The Lawyer)
- Why do you think she was unhappy in her marriage?
- Would you count her (secretly) going out with Priyan count as cheating?
- Why do you think Amrita’s case affected Netra on a personal level?
- Why do you think she broke up with him at the end?
The Slap Scene
(Playing the Devil’s Advocate)
- Don’t you think it was Amrita who provoked Vikram to lay a hand on her?
- Why don’t we sympathise with him at that point of time? Didn’t he just get a major career setback?
- Was the slap actually intended towards her? If not, then why do you think Vikram was able to do so?
- What if Vikram wasn’t physically violent with her and let’s say, just shouted at her. Would it still have escalated the way it did? Would it still be wrong or problematic?
- Was the slap the only reason why Amrita stopped loving Vikram?
- At what point do you think she realised that she didn’t love him anymore and wanted a divorce?
Amrita’s Dad
- What are the creators trying to tell us through his journey of realisation?
Sandhya and Sulekha (The 2 Mothers)
- How much do you think are the two mothers responsible for whatever had occurred?
Karan (Amrita’s Brother)
- John Gray’s Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus discusses the ‘Mr.Fix it Attitude’ of men, according to which, men have an innate need to take charge and attempt to find solutions to problems.
Do you think Karan saw issues in Amrita’s marriage merely as a responsibility to take care of and solve? Could we really see his concern for Amrita?
Shivani Fonseca (The Neighbour)
- Why was her angle from a character standpoint important in the movie?
- Do you think it was a deliberate attempt to not reveal her occupation?
(maybe because it didn’t matter)
Sunita (The Maid)
- Why was her angle from a character standpoint important in the movie?
- Why did she leave behind the money that Vikram gave her in the end?
Criticism
- Do you believe Swati’s character could have been more fleshed out?
- Do you believe showing a few flashbacks of the early days of their marriage would have enhanced the process of making a more effective point through the film?
- Do you believe that showing more scenes that reflected Vikram’s dependency on Amrita helped push the narrative forward slightly more effectively?
- Do you feel Netra and Priyan’s break up (of sorts) was a little less explored and explained?
- When Karan is trying to explain why Amrita should forget about the incident and go back, he says – “Pehli baar hi toh hua hai”
To which Swati replies – “What if I cheat on you once, will that be okay?”
Acknowledging the fact that both these acts are essentially wrong, is it correct to weigh them on the same scale in a relationship?
Other Theme-Based Questions
- Who was the real villain in the movie?
- Do you think this movie would encourage divorce?
- Do you think this movie could instigate and propagate man hating?
Some Other Observations
- In the initial scene, we see all the primary female characters have an orange candy. According to us, it symbolises a collective feeling of womanhood, that surpasses age, class, profession etc.
- A very subtle message in the party sequence :
When Vikram’s boss comes to the party, he asks Amrita to come and meet him. Observe the way it has been shot. He calls her twice. Go and look at his hand gesture. The director makes it a point to focus on the hand to make it a little more obvious.
- By the end of the movie, we see Amrita drive a car. A subtle message to signify how she (finally) has control over the ‘steering wheel’ of her life.
