Thappad, The Goldfinch Out in May on Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video has announced release dates for two upcoming films in the Taapsee Pannu-starrer social drama Thappad, and the Ansel Elgort-led book adaptation The Goldfinch. Thappad will release Friday, May 1 on Amazon's streaming service globally, with The Goldfinch a week later on Friday, May 8 only in India. While Thappad arrives just two over months since its theatrical release, The Goldfinch — via Amazon's deal with Warner Bros. Pictures India — has taken over seven months to arrive on streaming. You'll need an Amazon Prime subscription — Rs. 129 per month, or Rs. 999 per year — to watch the films, as is the case for all movies on the platform.

Article 15 and Mulk writer-director Anubhav Sinha is at the helm of Thappad, about a wife (Pannu) whose seemingly perfect life ends up in pieces after her husband (Pavail Gulati) slaps her at a party. Thappad “re-evaluates and questions gender dynamics within a marriage and society's acceptance of the age-old belief: ‘shaadi mein sab kuch chalta hain [everything goes in a marriage]'.” The film was praised for its social message and performances, though it was criticised for its pace and use of tropes. In addition to Pannu and Gulati, Thappad also stars Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Manav Kaul, and Ram Kapoor among others.

“I was very sure I wanted to be a part of this movie,” Pannu said in a mailed statement. “It is an honour to have worked with Anubhav sir on this project where he approached a sensitive topic in the most impactful way possible. I have been a rebel by nature since childhood, and, that reflects in my choice of films. The last six months have been very interesting for me. From doing stand-up comedy on Amazon original series One Mic Stand to this incredibly nuanced role in Thappad, I have had the opportunity to really expand my range of work. I am thrilled that viewers can now watch Thappad on Amazon Prime Video.”

The Goldfinch is the adaptation of Donna Tartt's 2013 book of the same name, about a young man (Elgort) who holds onto the eponymous painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA) as hope and in memory, after his mother is killed in a terrorist bombing at the New York City museum. Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, and Nicole Kidman form the talented supporting cast. The Goldfinch was panned by critics and ended up as a box office disaster, with estimated losses around $50 million (about Rs. 381 crores).

These follow the Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker, the Vicky Kaushal-starrer horror thriller Bhoot — Part One: The Haunted Ship, and Greta Gerwig's star-studded period drama Little Women, all released in the past week on Prime Video. While all these films had a theatrical release — truncated in the case of Thappad — Amazon is reportedly in talks with the Jyothika-starrer Tamil-language courtroom drama Ponmagal Vandhal to bring the film directly to streaming, given theatres are shut across India due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Thappad is out May 1 on Prime Video worldwide. The Goldfinch is out May 8 on Prime Video in India. Both films will be available with Hindi- and English-language audio, respectively, as those were the only theatrical version of the film.

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