Papanasam (2015) User Reviews

Birth of the Family-Thriller Genre.

[thilakshan-112-360775 · 9/10 · 5 July 2015]

Amir Khan once said about Kamal Haasan, "There are some things he can do that others can but there are many things Kamal can do that no other actor can." Once again, this film stands as a testament, particularly in witnessing that this same film is being remade in several Indian languages, showcasing the talents of several lead actors, since its conception as the Malayalam film; Drishyam, with Mohanlal.

I've heard many people say that they are partial to the original malayalam version - perhaps because they saw it first? But there is another side to this story. A filmmaker rarely gets the chance to do the same film twice, and if he is still as passionate about the story the second or third time, each time he makes it, he perfects the telling just a little more... I often hear stories about writers/directors lamenting about how they would look back at their work and notice mistakes they made that they would love to do-over had they been given the chance.

With Papanasam, what I see is the director, Jeethu Joseph, having improved upon himself. Of all the versions of the film I have seen, the tamil film comes across by far the most subtle - and that is in particular due to Kamal Haasan's sensibilities and energy permeating and influencing the cast, I feel.

So, personally, yes, the tamil version is the best! I understand that people who are sentimental towards 'originals' might not agree, but I think if you were willing to be impartial and unbiased, it is difficult to miss the perfection of this film in the tamil version.

Great thrills in the second half - a real roller-coaster ride!

It's just riveting and picture perfect

[bartom-612-185848 · 9/10 · 13 August 2015]

Yes it is remake, but that doesn't mean it's any lesser. In fact i believe making a remake is a difficult job. For all the people who say the original movie was better, of course you would believe that as this concept and movie did not exist before the original script so you will like it more. But now that you have a frame of reference, doing a remake of a successful movie is very difficult as you have cater to the demographic who know what the movie is about.

Yes people might say it is hit only because of a remake, but i would strongly disagree, it is a delight to watch because the remake is done just right. Kadhalaku Mariydhai, Nanban are prime example.

Leave aside all those controversies, from the premise till the end, this is one movie that paces really well. Though a simple concept of saving the family, the actors have brought their A-game, fantastic performances from everyone. Needless to say anything about Kamal Hassan, he makes everything looks so easy and so realistic, he has always been best in any role that he plays and even here he just steals the show. Having said that, it would be easy for the director to be tempted to keep Kamal in all frames and make the movie a success, but not to be. Everyone has been given a fair share of the screen space and they have given a scintillating act every time.

Although i know the movie was long, i never felt bored at any point, a feel that i get from a Tarantino movie. The screenplay was perfect, the actors were placed in the right place at right time. The plot twists were great and just when you thought you know everything the movie creeps with something new, i really loved that.

In a intriguing movie like this, you have to feel for the characters and you really do. That's a exceptional win-win for the actors in the movie. Even though ethically what they are doing are wrong, you understand what will happen if only you were truthful at all times, and you totally buy that. Frame by frame the movie passes with wonderful continuity and even when it ends, it just does not snap, it is a thorough and clear closure, which says a lot about the director It's easy for movies such as this to be absurdly stupid and leave many plot holes for the audience to explore but the director covers all plot syncs and when you backtrack what went on, you can easily connect the dots and agree to the fact though the hero is selfish, you have to be selfish at some times to survive in this world.

What happened was a accident, but in a perfect world you could come out with the truth and people will look at 2 sides of a coin and take the right judgment, but we are not in a perfect world. At the end when Kamal explains what would happen if the tables were turned, it is a right explanation. How a Mother would handle would be different from what a Mother with power would handle a situation.

A Small negative would be that the premise about the Hero could have been shortened a bit, maybe less 15 minutes, his love interest for his wife was totally unwarranted, looks like Kamal's personal choice than anything else. But that does not affect the movie in anyway and can be easily overlooked.

You will like every character, you could relate to the fear in their eyes, the plot was simple and understandable, the connectors were very well used and screenplay was paced just right. A movie for everyone in the family and through entertainer

The DRISHYAM saga continues to make us proud of our Indian Cinema with the team excelling once again led by Kamal Hassan.

[bobbysing · 8/10 · 2 August 2016]

Beginning on a serious note, I really feel sorry looking at the way our Indian regional cinema is ignored by the Hindi film viewing audience, considering it always something loud, over the top and action based fast moving drama to be eluded. In fact it really makes you feel the pain finding a film like DRISHYAM (Malayalam) not reaching a wider audience all over the country despite being capable of redefining 'Indian Cinema' breaking all the preset notions and assumptions about regional movies.

Anyway moving ahead of the film's original concept and its similarities with a foreign flick here are my honest views about the worthy, must watch remake given below.

Directed by Jeethu Joseph himself (the man behind DRISHYAM), PAPANASAM is a very loyal remake of its original since it even follows the lengthy first half as it is, that was pointed out to be 'a drawback' by many viewers and critics together. But looking at these initial 40 minutes of the film from a different viewpoint, it does help in building a solid base of individual friendships, rivalry and family-bonding having their own interconnected importance in the later crucial part of the film as required.

The biggest attraction of PAPANASAM (literally meaning 'Destruction of Sins') remains Kamal Hassan returning to his much adored portrayal of a simple, common man that was missing in most of his recent films featuring all 'heroic' or 'larger-than-life' characters away from reality. So here we have a loved maestro (Kamal) carrying the bright torch lit by another hugely respected maestro (Mohanlal) with the same dedication, sincerity and perfection that deserves to be experienced as a must.

Plus PAPANASAM also has Gauthami reappearing on screen after many years, once again proving her immense talent in the tough role superbly. In fact it was great watching them together as a couple making me recall those lighter days of APPU RAJA and many more. Just like the original the entire supporting cast here is again well chosen (a few retained from the original), contributing hugely in the overall impact of the film with many key sequences bringing you onto the edge of your seats repeatedly. Having a longer duration (3 hours) than the Malayalam film, PAPANASAM has a couple of catchy tracks and a powerful background score that successfully takes the film to the next level undoubtedly. And one of the major highlights of the film is its climax conversation scene between Ananth Mahadevan (better than the original) and Kamal Hassan that forces you to join your hands together praising their commendable job wholeheartedly.

No doubt, comparison between the two veterans is bound to become a matter of debate within film institutions & keen students of cinema in the coming months or years. But ideally instead of comparison, one should focus on the different approaches followed by the two in their individual portrayals on screen deserving a huge applause.

To give you the exact gist, where Mohanlal's solid act in DRISHYAM stressed more on intelligence, confidence, patience and ruthless expressions in his interpretation of a concerned father, there Kamal Hassan in PAPANASAM keeps emotions in front and stays an intelligent emotional father right till the finale sequence crying in front of Ananth Mahadevan. And this major difference in their respective visions can be studied in the police torture scene & the climax in particular, dealt distinctively.

However in my personal opinion since a super composed, intelligent and less emotional personality remains more close to the 'thinking' character of the father hiding the unintentional crime, therefore Mohanlal and his DRISHYAM stays 'one step ahead' venture for me putting it honestly. But at the same time that doesn't allow me to rate PAPANASAM any lower deserving an equal praise, successfully giving you the same pulsating, unpredictable, emotional and mind boggling experience in the theatre that needs to be cherished at the earliest without any slightest of doubt. Moreover it also becomes a must watch for the younger generation in particular since it raises a valid question on the use of all new age gadgets that can become both a boon as well as a curse if used with wrong intentions following an evil mind.

Coming back to the subject of regional films, if after reading and listening such strong positive views about the exceptional content of Malayalam DRISHYAM and now the Tamil PAPANASAM all over the media, if you still haven't seen any of these films due to some of your own (silly) language reservations………. then that's like a crime committed will-fully by a supposedly true lover of great cinema if I must say that.

A GOOD Film

[licsivaraj1987 · 10/10 · 3 July 2015]

One might wonder why state an obvious fact as Kamal Haasan is brilliant in the movie. But this reputation is what acts as the value addition to his presence in Papanasam. What connects Kamal Haasan and Suyambu Lingam (Kamal's character in Papanasam) is the image they have earned among their people. While the nation would vouch for Kamal's unmatchable skills in the field of acting, Suyambu Lingam has his people in Papanasam to vouch for his character and intellect. Suyambu Lingam also reflects another well known trait of Kamal - the self learned genius. Last, but definitely not the least, all credits to director Jeethu Joseph and his team of writers, for a brilliant tale and for extracting the best from each member of the team.

Papanasam is an honest remake with every bit of element retained to its full strength.

Again KAMALHASAN proved he is the GREATEST ACTOR in India.

Papanasam (U) TAMIL ------------- my Rating: ★★★★★ VERY SMART THRILLER

[yunusitboss · 10/10 · 15 August 2015]

New movie Reviews and lots more Hot news .... LIKE THIS PAGE : English Hindi TAMIL TELUGU Facebook : Movie Review by Yunus Irshad https://www.facebook.com/YunusIrshadsMovieReview

Papanasam (U) TAMIL ------------- my Rating: ★★★★★ VERY SMART THRILLER

STRENGTHS:- * Script was gripping, director keeps you at edge of the seat...... * Kamal Haasan, Gautami and other cast were astonishing, did an awesome performance.... * Screenplay was well matched which had a great flow till end..... * Ghibran's BGM.... * Climax Twist.....

FINAL VERDICT:- * Overall... it is brilliant and intelligent thriller with an emotional drama..... The Story is the hero of the movie, Kamal hasan is the only person in tamil cinema who can present this movie in a heart warming and emotional way..... I strongly recommend this movie for those who search for thriller movies.....

Desperate measures are taken by a man who tries to save his family from the dark side of the law, after they commit an unexpected crime.

Director: Jeethu Joseph Writers: Jayamohan, Jeethu Joseph (story) Stars: Kamal Haasan, Gautami, Niveda Thomas | See full cast and crew »

Its not very often for you to see a remake surpass the original !

[BlackOpsBaby · 10/10 · 11 July 2015]

The movie starts with an apt intro detailing the nature of Suyambulingam , a honest and hard working family man. But his peace is short lived after a very disturbing derogatory event . The Story then catches fire taking us through journey of trickery deception and deceit.

Kamals acting is top notch , makes us think whether there is anyone alive who is even remotely as talented .The entire cast delivers. Excellent work by Jeyamohan (Writer) gives us an even more intense and tight movie compared to the original version ! The movie hits the bulls eye in every major spot you would like a movie to - Story , Direction , Writing , Acting etc.

Expect a Fast paced thriller ride to experience with your family .

A Solid 9/10

Every act is fair from their own perspective!

[Reno-Rangan · 9/10 · 14 September 2015]

The title represents a small town where the story takes place. An opportunity to see the old Kamal Haasan. It was like been ages, seen him in this kind of attire, especially Tirunelveli accent was phenomenal. As usual, his performance and expressions stole the show and none others were matched his par in the movie. Nothing wrong to call it was his show. Kind of addicted to 'Yeya En Kottikkaara' song. A typical Tamil song, if you are, you might feel the deep.

It was a remake of the Malayalam movie 'Drishyam', which was inspired by the Japanese novel 'The Devotion of Suspect X'. I have not seen the original movie, but seen the Japanese version based on the same book. There are no major comparisons, except the crime, the rest was completely rewritten to suit the Indian audience. But the writer denies, by saying neither book adaptation nor inspired.

I have heard that the narration was very emotional and the characters were more guilt feel than the Malayalam. Initially Rajnikath was considered for the main role, but happy it went to Kamal Haasan. None other than him would have suited better to portray Suyambulingam. He would definitely bring the emotions out of you easily. After Sivaji, he's the king of those roles. At the plenty of the scenes I was amazed by his execution, especially in the end scene when he finally breakdown with guilt.

I don't believe when people say the original version is a must watch. Every film industry in India has fine actors, especially this film recruited their best as of I have heard. So I recommend your native version or the closest one to opt. The advantage in the remakes are, a chance to fix if there were any flaws in the original. Since it was directed by the same filmmaker, I strongly suggest the neural audience to pick between the original and this one, because of the naturalistic portrayal of the rural family. But if you prefer stylish, especially for the non- Indian, there's always Bollywood.

9/10

Great movie

[mayarudhra · 8/10 · 12 October 2015]

A great movie that keeps pricking at your morals and the extent to which you would go to your loved ones. It did bother me a little to realise what Kamal's family did was not a small affair and the guilt in itself would be something you can't live with. Also, can one really take laws in their own hands?...

Apart from these philosophical questions that can arise, the movie has done a great job engaging the audience and the actors have been brilliant! Kamal has scored it, yet again!

A must watch.. not to be missed! It is not often that you get movies like this - also family oriented and thoroughly engaging.

Simply superb!!

[sarangan-883-408669 · 10/10 · 2 March 2019]

Edge of seat thriller! Super realistic film with awesome plot twist and eye catching scenery!

How far would you go to save your loved ones

[SivakumarBalachandran · 7/10 · 3 July 2015]

Papanasam (2015) review: Remakes from Malayalam are not new for Tamil film industry. To name a few the recent successful 36 vayadhinile, Yester year's success movies like Friends, kadhaluku Mariyadhai, Chandramookhi, Ninaithale Inikum Kuselan, perazhagan etc

Drishyam was a one of the blockbuster Malayalam movies of all times. The successful movie went to speak Telugu, Kannada and proved its worth in both reprisals. Following that it was remade in Tamil and Hindi (yet to hit the screens). Who knows this script might be reprised in other languages as well in future.

Papanasam is a family drama – thriller. Since the story and screenplay is well known for almost all south Indian Cinema viewers. Kamal has not added anything extra to the script he seems to be the clear director's artist in the movie.

The story is about an ordinary village man trying to save his loved ones who has committed a situational crime. The Nellai nativity flows all over the story applause the writer Jeya Mohan who has penned the dialogues.

When it comes to the performances obliviously we have the ultimate show from the Ace actor and the legendary film star Kamalhassan. Asha Sharath who has reprised the same role has done 100% justice to her role as an I.G and a sobbing mother. Nivedha Thomas as the daughter fits comfortably on the role. The entire team was a good pick for the roles.

Plus points of the film would be definitely Kamal's acting, the script and the gripping story line.

On the contrary the length of the movie seemed too long almost 3 hours ten minutes and the initial portion of the movie to introduce the characters was bit long journey before the actual turning point of the movie.

Overall for those who didn't watch Drishyam this would be an ultimate family thriller. For the other viewers definitely the flavour of Drishyam would be missing throughout because originals stay in your mind which is inevitable.

-Reviewed by Sivakumar Balachandran

Surpasses the original!

[saivenkat02 · 10/10 · 14 August 2015]

This is a rare instance where the remake surpasses the original. Not many remakes do that. But Tamil cinema has quite a few memorable instances like Ghilli and Vasoolraja MBBS that stepped above the remakes and became better films. Papanasam joins that list now. Kamal Haasan makes Mohanlal look so uninteresting, bland and inept. Yes, that final climax scene was slightly overdose of the melodramatic Kamal Haasan but that's his strength and that's why people love him. He comes from the Sivaji school of acting (his mentor is Sivaji Ganesan as said by him umpteen times).

The film is so superbly blended into the Tamil nativity that a lot of effort and detail have been done by the makers to achieve this. The girl who plays the elder daughter is top notch, and so is the younger one. Gautami passes muster. Asha Sharrath (the cop) is as brilliant as she did in the original. Kalabhavan Mani goes one step above the original's actor to deliver a knockout performance. The music greatly aids the film with the haunting background score (very well done Ghibran). Overall, the Kamal Haasan factor lifts the film above the original easily. Note: I watched Drishyam (Malayalam) first, but now I regret it. I wish I watched Papanasam first. But out of the two, I will end up watching Papanasam again.

Great story, but too long and excessively violent 2nd half

[sprashanthdummy · 6/10 · 11 July 2015]

The movie's story is really good & no wonder the original movie Drishyam was a superhit. However this tamil version Papanasam is too long, especially in the 2nd half. I feel that the no. of interrogation scenes could have been reduced as several of them were redundant & pointlessly adding to the length of the movie. Secondly, the police brutality in the 2nd half was too excessive and uncalled for. I don't care if the Director wanted to portray the harsh reality of police torture, he should be knowing that this is a U-rated family drama that kids will also like to watch, unlike a violent action movie that you'll want them to avoid watching. I heard that the original Drishyam movie is not as violent as the Tamil version and not as long, hence in that aspect I would not rate Papanasam highly.

Dhrisiyam is Awesome..

[Don_Bradman_IMDB · 1/10 · 1 October 2018]

I am from Tamil Nadu. But I love Dhrisiyam. Gowthami face irritated too much. Mohan lal is awesome when compare to Kamal.

Papanasam (2015)

[santhosh-10290 · 10/10 · 1 January 2018]

The film was so thrilling and interesting. The film is full of twists and suspense. Kamal Hassan was awesome in the film with his outstanding performance. Songs and BGM were awesome in the film. Overall the film was awesome.

Paganism Kamal hassan

[krrishnaa-14916 · 10/10 · 14 November 2023]

The film was so thrilling and interesting. The film is full of twists and suspense. Kamal Hassan was awesome in the film with his outstanding performance. Songs and BGM were awesome in the film. Overall the film was awesome. Of all the other versions I loved the Tamil version just because Kamal had done an outstanding job than any other lead actors in other languages. I saw the Malayalam and the Hindi versions. Especially, in the scene where the police stop by his house to inquire, lead actress (Gautami) will blabber something putting them on the spot. The expression of Kamal was absolutely realistic while Mohanlal would be sitting like an expressionless statue and Ajay Devgn would be smiling like he knew what to say which was not realistic. Throughout the movie Kamal would have stolen the show. One of the best thriller. Great work by the original (Malayalam) writer Jeethu Joseph.

Chill thrilling experience

[jose_cybertron · 9/10 · 16 September 2021]

Chill thrilling experience. Waiting for Papanasam2.

I don't know

[vidyuthvinodh · 6/10 · 13 November 2022]

Papanasam is a Tamil remake of the mohanlal movie drishyam. The movie is nice but I thought that it was kind of the same thing. I get its a remake but still I wanted something,even a minor thing changed. I thought that Kamal haasan would put his own spin to the character,but it was exactly the same as the original,nothing special. Besides the family acting,everyone else was just meh. They we're pretty forgettable,even the important ones. It's a good movie but would only watch again if I'm browsing on TV and this came. But if you haven't seen the original then you will definitely like this one,and maybe have a better experience.

Worst

[tulasiajit · 1/10 · 4 December 2020]

Kamal Haasan is nothing when compared to acting skills of Mohanlal.

Appealing To The Tamil Audience. ♦ 50%

[nairtejas · 5/10 · 10 July 2015]

Please skip this review if you have not watched the original Malayalam film, Drishyam (2013).

The idea behind Papanasam is a cash cow from filmmaker Jeethu Joseph. While he cashed in on the original Malayalam film, which was terrific for a Malayali like me, he also dressed as the writer for the Telugu and Kannada remakes and will also be donning the same cap for the Hindi release.

Sparing you further insight about the maker and his traits, the film works mostly because of its village setting, a family drama, and the suspense that grips its viewer for most of the 160 minutes. There are lots of things to think about here, starting from the ethics that surrounds a crime.

It will highly appeal to the Tamil audience, but if you are one of that guy who has already watched the original version or one of its two remakes, chances are that you will definitely compare the films. And the comparison will let you down.

BOTTOM LINE: Papanasam is of course a brilliant thriller, and it will look amazing if and only if you have not watched the original Malayalam film and you have not read the book The Devotion of Suspect X.

VERDICT: 5 stars out of 10. Watchable.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

POOR REMAKE OF MALAYALAM MOVIE 'DRIHSYAM'

[neelimarajesh · 3/10 · 14 November 2021]

Over acting king kamal hassan splendid it with his over expressions 😂. He always proved he can't reach the level of mohanlal's naturality in acting.

But overall it was a new experience for tamil audience who didn't watch DRISHYAM. Also worst acting by Nivediya Thomas compared to Ansiba hassan.