Thappad trailer: Taapsee Pannu, Anubhav Sinha's social drama investigates normalisation of domestic violence

The trailer of Taapsee Pannu and director Anubhav Sinha's upcoming drama, Thappad, has been unveiled, and it seems to investigate the nitty-gritties of systematic oppression in even a "seemingly normal" marriage.

Right at the outset, the viewers are told Taapsee's character wants to part ways with her husband. It appears her husband (Pavail Gulati) has demanded the court for "the restitution of conjugal rights," which implies the guilty party is ordered to live with the aggrieved party. The lawyer poses a series of questions, including if they have had extra-marital affairs, to gauge the reason behind Taapsee refusing to return to her husband's house. When Taapsee tells her that her husband hit her once, the startled lawyer emphatically asks if that was "the only time" that she was hit. Taapsee responds, "Yes, it was that one time, but he shouldn't be hitting me."

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The trailer then shifts to chronicle the married life of the protagonists. Taapsee is seen performing her duties of being a wife and a daughter-in-law to perfection. But one night, when Taapsee and her husband were at a party, her husband loses his temper over entrepreneurial tiffs with his business partners, and ends up slapping Taapsee in a fit of rage.

The divorce petition opens a can of worms where Taapsee's friends and family members start questioning her intent. Friends advise her to give her husband "another chance," her husband tells her "shit happens". While her mother (Ratna Pathak Shah) gasps at the thought of having a divorcee daughter, her mother-in-law (Tanvi Azmi) asks her to "let it go" since women have to learn how to live with pain.

Despite being ridden with doubt, Taapsee ventures on in her pursuit of justice, explaining she has been conveniently unseeing various things in her life until the 'thappad' (slap).

Check out the trailer here

The film is slated to release on 28 February a week ahead of the International Women's Day weekend.