Thappad ki Goonj: Seven Tight Slaps from Bollywood

On the enquiry of @vicramb and @GabbarSingh after today's momentous event, I decided to compile my list of favourite Bollywood slaps. You see, what we lack currently is a good book that will contain all such quirky and funny lists. If one comes out any time, do remember to pick it up (*ahem*). 
Hindi movies have a profusion of slaps and that tends to reduce the impact over a period of time. Hence, it would be good to look at some of the iconic ones.

So - here goes - in no particular order, a quick list (of which I have managed to dig out the videos of most *clap clap*):

Lage Raho Munnabhai
In a bid to get Atmaram's son to attend his birthday, Munna walks into the son's office and tries to convince him vinamrata se baat karkey. But Vinamrata is a very useless person and usse baat karke koi faydaa toh hota nahin. In fact, the prodigal son threatens to get into fisticuffs since he was a boxing champion. And that's when Munna announces that he is a Lafaa Champion. And proceeds to prove his credentials by slapping the guy to an inch from death.

Beta
Mothers and fathers have slapped children quite indiscriminately, especially when caught eloping. But a son slapping a mother is quite unheard of, really!
Aruna Irani - after a lifetime of sucking Anil Kapoor's lifeblood - has a change of heart when Anil lay dying after she poisoned him. She asks her own son to give up the property as her stepson Anil is the rightful owner. Her own son - drunk on impending richness - refuses and when things get ugly, he slaps her. Probably for the time in Hindi cinema, something like this had happened.
And continues to slap her while Aruna Irani screams her lungs out, calling for Anil. You know the rest, right?

Saudagar 
In the Subhash Ghai multi-starrer of generational enmities, violence was not uncommon and slaps a little less so.
Nevertheless, Raaj Kumar proceeded to slap Amrish Puri with a satisfying crackling sound (for suggesting Raaj's grand-daughter marry a jerk)! And in a triumph of film editing, Amrish Puri's face almost came apart in a series of cuts.
Never able to explain these in words. See the scene.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
JJWS showed college life with a perfect balance of realism and style. And nothing was better depicted than the poor-boy-masquerading-as-rich-boy charade. And when the whole drama fell apart, Pooja Bedi and Aamir Khan had a fight in which both were found guilty of lying to each other. And when Pooja called Aamir  a sham, he called her a 'bloody gold-digger' (which eventually went to become a catch-phrase in our college days). And in retaliation, Pooja Bedi gave Aamir Khan ONE TIGHT SLAP!
Immediately afterwards, Kulbhushan Kharbanda joined in when he discovered his younger son was siphoning off his hard-earned cash and Aamir was given the same - once more!
Incidentally, Aamir pretends he is from the multi-billionaire Thapar family and is referred to as 'Thapar ka beta'!

Lamhe
Yash Chopra's best film had a veneer of style lesser filmmakers can only aspire for. And in the only scene of marginal violence, the style saved the day.
Sridevi's haveli is about to be usurped by his evil cousins who have won a court battle. In order to have her wedding pass off peacefully, Anil Kapoor starts to negotiate a later date for the occupation. The cousin turns out to be a complete jerk and Anil slaps him.
When asked to name his price for delaying the haveli occupation, he says - "chhe din ka chhe lakh. Aur iss thappad ka ek lakh."
Anil Kapoor walks up to him, slaps him thrice, turns to his munimji and says, "inhe 10 lakh ka cheque de dijiye."
JHAKAAS!!

Karma
What can I say about this scene that has not been said already? It is a thirty-year old film and yet the echo of the slap reverberates in the corridors of our memories.
Iss thappad ki goonj...


Khakee
In a brilliant but under-rated film, Amitabh Bachchan is pitted against super-criminal Ajay Devgan and in a pre-climax encounter, AB manages to slap Devgan despite being cornered. Ajay has him and his entire police team on gun-point and asks a constable to slap Amitabh, the DCP.
What happens next? Who gets hurt and who does not? Watch the scene, no?
BTW, read this post on Khakee - which points out another scene in Khakee where Tanuja (a convict's mother) slaps AB in a later scene. Amitabh probably has never been slapped so many times in a movie.

So, aap ko kaun sa thappad sabse achha laga?


Updated to add: I have just been informed by the good people of BlogAdda that:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Awesome list! I especially like the Lamhe and Khakee scenes.
M said…
Great List ! If I remember correctly, Anil Kapoor slaps once more in Lamhe .. Anupam Kher in the middle of the medley song :)
Shazia said…
Arey how can you forget the "Grow up, Akash!" slap from Dil Chahta Hai. I think that is the best thappad...a life changing one. :)
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Somehow that slap made me vent out my anger.
Prasanna Rao said…
I remember a movie where Raaj Kumar was slapping with both hands crossed. It was the most unique slap I have seen till date :P. I think the movie was Tiranga, not sure though :)
DK said…
Many worth slaps to be included in the list but I can't recollect any but Sarfarosh (Rathore slapping corrupt inspecter at his home). Amrish Puri in his days was also quite notorious for a tight slap (e.g. DDLJ- both SRK and Kajol). OK will Harvinder Singh's slap count? to be precise the one at NDMC as it was caught on tapes.
Hampton Bay said…
Awesome list! I especially like the Lamhe and Khakee scenes.
Anonymous said…
You missed DDLJ's slap to SRK by Ambrish Puri. I still remember the shocked silence of the entire hall when it came up.

A discerning analysis of Karma leads to homosexual connotations between the Jailer and Dr. Dang. Highlight of the movie in one of our rewatch of the classic was Dang's dialog:

"Angry Old Man. Mazaa ayega"
Arnab Nandy said…
Probably for the ONLY time in Hindi cinema, something like this had happened.

You missed "only"
Andec Tanker said…
In KABHI KHUSHI KABHIE GHAM, AB slaps his [biological] younger son Hrithik when the latter says that it was his, AB's, pride that divided the family and sent the [adopted]elder son, SRK, away. AB's slap confirms Hrithik's suspicion that the angry front that AB puts up whenever SRK is mentioned is merely a facade; there's deep love inside.

In the execrable Rishtey, Karisma Kapoor slaps her father Amrish Puri when she learns that it was his evil machinations that drove her husband Anil Kapoor and child away from her. When a thunderstruck Puri says: "Meri beti ne mujhe thappad maara?? Meri beti ne??", she responds: "Nahi, ek aurat ne, ek biwi ne, ek maa ne tumhe thappad maara hai." And then she proceeds to bang the door on her hand, the same hand that a daughter had raised on her father.