Production: Wide Angle Creations|Raj Kumar Theatres
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Original Score: M. Ghibran
Cinematography: Sujith Vaassudev
Editing: Ayoob Khan
Cast: Kamal Hasan,Gautami,Asha Sarath,Niveda Thomas,Kalabhavan Mani,Esther Anil,Anant Mahadevan,M. S. Bhaskar,Roshan Basheer,Charle,Delhi Ganesh,Ilavarasu,Arul Dass,Sree Raam.
There’s always a buzz when the movie carries the name of Mr.Kamal Hassan. For once it did not have problem releasing on the decided date without any hurdles a huge thanks to his haters for making this happen. This serves as a remake for the much acclaimed and appreciated Malayalam movie “Drishyam” directed by Jeethu Joseph. The remake in Tamil has been handled by himself. The original was a thriller masterpiece which had Mohanlal and Meena in the lead. When the trailers of this film were aired online, everyone who have watched the original were skeptical that this remake wouldn’t do justice to it, so was my perception too. But Jeethu Joseph took everyone’s skepticism with surprise by dishing out a remake which outdid the original.
Ulaganayagan Kamal Hassan didn’t get that title for the sake of it, it was earned with years of hard work and utmost dedication towards the art of cinema. He’s one actor who go lengths to get anything to perfection. There’s no doubt he’s one of the few in Indian Cinema who we can be proud of. His character in the movie as Suyambulingam, was detailed and characterized to perfection including the Thenkasi slang, which became the highlight of that character. Kamal Hassan is an actor who gives life to even a dead character, imagine if a character had a personality like “Suyambulingam”, it was great. Still not able to get out of his performance which in fact out did Mohanlal from the original in the climax, Kamal Hassan makes you feel the pain of that character in all terms. Hats off Sir you did a tremendous job.
Gautami, can’t really remember when she was seen last on screen. But when she returned, it was really a good one. She had a personal touch to that character, their on screen chemistry was delectable. She did an outstanding job, and proved it’s not a comeback, but a long break, because an artist never cease to act, he just takes a break to make him/her better so that when he/she is on the screen it should feel you never missed them.
Niveda Thomas was a perfect catch for the role of “Selvi Suyambulingam”, she carried off the role hands down with ease, she was a natural and did a great job. She had a great on screen presence which brought a good light to the character. Her role was perfectly balanced by Esther Anil as Meena Suyambulingam, she may be the youngest among the cast, but she forms the vital part of the family and the story, which you will realize when you watch the movie. She did a great job as well.
Asha Sarath as IG Geetha Prabhakar, was one dynamic character which ruled both the versions. You can see the multiple layers of that character wearing off time to time with great attitude which makes this one an interesting part of the movie. Anant Mahadevan as Prabhakar did a good job who was seen on screen after a long gap.
Another character which you can’t afford to miss is Kalabhavan Mani as Constable Manikyam. You will hate this character to the core for his qualities, because he’s so convincing as an actor that you will start believing him for real, shrewdness was mixed in the blood of this character, he did a tremendous job.
The cinematography by Sujith Vaassudev was splendid, who captured the landscapes beautifully and at the same time perfectly visualized the vision of the director. The movie is a 180 minutes long, but not for one minute you’ll feel tired of it which was held together with crisp editing by Ayoob Khan. The score by Ghibran was great which complimented the movie.
Doing a remake is a tough job, because everyone tends to compare the original, but when a director does a remake which pops a question in the mind of the audience who have watched the remake but not the original saying…“do you think Mohanlal’s performance was as good as our Kamal Hassan???…and is the original is as thrilling as this remake???”. Trust me these were the exact words spoken by the crowd walking out of the Cinema hall. That’s where the integrity of the Director Jeethu Joseph stands tall.
“Papanasam” is a remake which has been captured frame to frame with utmost detailing packed with powerful performance by Kamal Hassan, for once a remake has outdone the original which gives you the same nail biting experience like you’re watching the original for the first time. Perfect narration with impeccable direction by Jeethu Joseph. Don’t miss this wonderful thriller which will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout the second half.
Credit : Sajid