While being a female is entirely biological, it is the social construct which decides what feminine stands for- docile, tolerant, weak, passive, homely and so on. No woman or man is born feminine or masculine, adhering to a particular set of adjectives, but is made to act like one due to societal norms. It is highly unfortunate that violence with women is a common phenomenon in Indian households and women are taught to bear with it, to act ‘feminine’ and to accept the injustice they are put through.
Thappad, a film by Anubhav Sinha, starring Taapsee Pannu as the female protagonist is a film encouraging women to stand against injustice and violence when they are subjected to it. The film is about a woman, who is slapped by her husband, once, and she decides to get a divorce for she firmly believes that he had no right to use his power against her. She is faced by criticism saying it’s a trivial matter, but is it? Who decides the threshold for the amount of violence a woman should be subjected to before she raises her voice? It is essential to fight against violence the moment it arises, to not tolerate the first encounter and to make sure that the message, “not acceptable”, is loudly and clearly conveyed.
A vital step in the direction of women empowerment, the film deserves to be watched and talked about because it is we who decide what feminine stands for.
