The film is too slow and lacks logic at many points. Casting too was not great as the junior actors couldn't or didn't perform well. An average murder mystery that gets a bit dramatically interesting by the last 10 minutes.
36 Reviews
Good overall - crime thriller
anirudhshari29 July 2022
Engaging. A lot of twists.
plumeriamovies5 August 2022
Neeta Pillai as ASP Vincy Abraham was surprising and she did a marvellous job. She holds the first half & Suresh Gopi rocks the second half.
+ves: Superb Suresh Gopi and fantabulous Neeta Pillai. Script. Joshiy's direction.
-ves: Sometimes too loud RR.
+ves: Superb Suresh Gopi and fantabulous Neeta Pillai. Script. Joshiy's direction.
-ves: Sometimes too loud RR.
A decent thriller
akhil0279 August 2022
Joshy's Pappan is movie made using the generic thriller template. Suresh Gopi single handedly(pun not intended) carries the movie by himself most of the time. The rest of the cast delivers poor to average performance. One exception is Shammi Thilakan who did his role with ease and finesse. Neetha Pillai does fine with facial expressions but struggles with body language and dialogue delivery. I have no idea how Malavika Menon gets a role in every big Malayalam movies these days.
Pappan suffers from a convoluted script and editing. To cast Suresh Gopi himself as his younger self was a bad call. He looks 50+. Please accept that he's old. It would've been better to cast Gokul Suresh as the younger self instead.
Vijayaraghavan does the same role he did in Memories. He's there so that Suresh Gopi can tell us what he finds.
The big reveal has no impact whatsoever and the villain's motives aren't justified.
The movie lacks thrilling scenes and a cool background score.
What we get is a flat but decent thriller with really good performances by SG and Shammi Thilakan.
Pappan suffers from a convoluted script and editing. To cast Suresh Gopi himself as his younger self was a bad call. He looks 50+. Please accept that he's old. It would've been better to cast Gokul Suresh as the younger self instead.
Vijayaraghavan does the same role he did in Memories. He's there so that Suresh Gopi can tell us what he finds.
The big reveal has no impact whatsoever and the villain's motives aren't justified.
The movie lacks thrilling scenes and a cool background score.
What we get is a flat but decent thriller with really good performances by SG and Shammi Thilakan.
Paappan - The Return of Suresh Gopi!
bijupillai73-17 August 2022
A series of murders. A link to the past. Investigation by Kerala Police. Lots of twists. Intense Crime drama.
The return of Suresh Gopi as CI Abraham Mathew Mathan aka Paappan. He did make a comeback in 2020 after a 5 year hiatus with VARANE AVASHYAMUNDU. So this is his second comeback. A revelation that is Neeta Pillai. She debuted with Poomaram in 2018, alongside Kalidas Jayaram. I haven't watched that movie. But I sort of liked her in Abrid Shine's movie "Kung Fu Master". I read that she did a year of training for her action role in that movie. But I loved her in Paappan. Terrific perfomace as ASP Vincy Abraham IPS & Paappan's daughter. And always a welcome change to see a female cop leading the investigation and story. Thrilling music/bgm by Jakes Bejoy though at times it did feel too loud. Visually pleasing cinematography by Ajay David Kachappilly. And superb direction by the one and only Joshiy. He proves time and time again why he is still relevant after directing movies for 44 years! And he is one director who knows how to manage lots of actors/characters in one movie. Another Director who excels/exceled in that was I. V Sasi. This movie has a lot of characters, most of them well placed, well thought of and well acted. No wonder that a movie like "2020", that had almost all the actors from Malayalam cinema was also directed by Joshiy! Not saying that it was a perfect movie. But it was a celebration of cinema!
As it's a suspense thriller, I won't get too much into the specifics. The movie it took it's own sweet time and that bothered me. A 170 mins runtime could have been trimmed quite a bit to increase the pacing. The elaborate story and characters does need the time but it still did test my patience a few times. And I honestly felt that Suresh Gopi wasn't utilized to his maximum potential. Obviously there was nothing here to showcase his stellar acting chops but his screen presence with a new found salt & pepper look did make up for it to a extent. As an experienced ex cop, he did pull his weight around. A commanding presence on screen. Thankfully the long boring monologue contests of yesteryears wasn't used here and that was a big relief. I also wished he would have lost a little weight/hit the gym, as an extra effort by him can be seen in the action scene. Though he and Nyla Usha looked good together, the added weight did not justify his look in the flashbacks as a younger person. I say this with utmost respect to the actor. When you see how an older Mammootty tries to maintain his looks and physique, you wonder why SG cannot!
The supporting cast did their parts well, as I mentioned before. Among them Asha Sharath as Dr. Sherly and Shammi Thilakan as Iruttan Chacko stood out. Gokul Suresh Gopi did not have much to do, other than be SG's foster son Michael and sidekick but whatever was given to him, he did it well. Nyla Usha is a very good actress but she was also under utilised here. She didn't have much to do other than a few scenes of being Paappan's wife Nancy Abraham. She was excellent in the title character of Mariyam in Joshiy's last movie prior to this one, "Porinju Mariam Jose". So was Kaniha's character. Small role but did good. Another veteran actress Maala Parvathi too had a small role as Doctor Radhika Menon and she did well too. I am not mentioning about a few other actors as this is a suspense movie. And it's been only a few days since it's release.
Though Paappan overstayed it's welcome and was a bit exhausting at times, it was still an enjoyable & gripping suspense thriller. There are times when Suresh Gopi takes a back seat and it's a Neeta Pillai show all the way and then there are times when SG steps in and takes over. It's not in the league of some of the other great thrillers that came out earlier or in recent times but leave it to Joshiy to satisfy the audience one way or the other. He knows the pulse of today's audience and he still has 90s nostalgia eteched in his mind as we can see flashes of 90s movie making combined with today's sensibilites at times. No complaints here! Give it a watch. You will be invested from the get-go. Enjoy!
The return of Suresh Gopi as CI Abraham Mathew Mathan aka Paappan. He did make a comeback in 2020 after a 5 year hiatus with VARANE AVASHYAMUNDU. So this is his second comeback. A revelation that is Neeta Pillai. She debuted with Poomaram in 2018, alongside Kalidas Jayaram. I haven't watched that movie. But I sort of liked her in Abrid Shine's movie "Kung Fu Master". I read that she did a year of training for her action role in that movie. But I loved her in Paappan. Terrific perfomace as ASP Vincy Abraham IPS & Paappan's daughter. And always a welcome change to see a female cop leading the investigation and story. Thrilling music/bgm by Jakes Bejoy though at times it did feel too loud. Visually pleasing cinematography by Ajay David Kachappilly. And superb direction by the one and only Joshiy. He proves time and time again why he is still relevant after directing movies for 44 years! And he is one director who knows how to manage lots of actors/characters in one movie. Another Director who excels/exceled in that was I. V Sasi. This movie has a lot of characters, most of them well placed, well thought of and well acted. No wonder that a movie like "2020", that had almost all the actors from Malayalam cinema was also directed by Joshiy! Not saying that it was a perfect movie. But it was a celebration of cinema!
As it's a suspense thriller, I won't get too much into the specifics. The movie it took it's own sweet time and that bothered me. A 170 mins runtime could have been trimmed quite a bit to increase the pacing. The elaborate story and characters does need the time but it still did test my patience a few times. And I honestly felt that Suresh Gopi wasn't utilized to his maximum potential. Obviously there was nothing here to showcase his stellar acting chops but his screen presence with a new found salt & pepper look did make up for it to a extent. As an experienced ex cop, he did pull his weight around. A commanding presence on screen. Thankfully the long boring monologue contests of yesteryears wasn't used here and that was a big relief. I also wished he would have lost a little weight/hit the gym, as an extra effort by him can be seen in the action scene. Though he and Nyla Usha looked good together, the added weight did not justify his look in the flashbacks as a younger person. I say this with utmost respect to the actor. When you see how an older Mammootty tries to maintain his looks and physique, you wonder why SG cannot!
The supporting cast did their parts well, as I mentioned before. Among them Asha Sharath as Dr. Sherly and Shammi Thilakan as Iruttan Chacko stood out. Gokul Suresh Gopi did not have much to do, other than be SG's foster son Michael and sidekick but whatever was given to him, he did it well. Nyla Usha is a very good actress but she was also under utilised here. She didn't have much to do other than a few scenes of being Paappan's wife Nancy Abraham. She was excellent in the title character of Mariyam in Joshiy's last movie prior to this one, "Porinju Mariam Jose". So was Kaniha's character. Small role but did good. Another veteran actress Maala Parvathi too had a small role as Doctor Radhika Menon and she did well too. I am not mentioning about a few other actors as this is a suspense movie. And it's been only a few days since it's release.
Though Paappan overstayed it's welcome and was a bit exhausting at times, it was still an enjoyable & gripping suspense thriller. There are times when Suresh Gopi takes a back seat and it's a Neeta Pillai show all the way and then there are times when SG steps in and takes over. It's not in the league of some of the other great thrillers that came out earlier or in recent times but leave it to Joshiy to satisfy the audience one way or the other. He knows the pulse of today's audience and he still has 90s nostalgia eteched in his mind as we can see flashes of 90s movie making combined with today's sensibilites at times. No complaints here! Give it a watch. You will be invested from the get-go. Enjoy!
Great movie
shinuofficial29 July 2022
Watched it today.. It was a fine movie with an excellent story and climax. There are somany peoples trying to degrade the movie because of personal/ political feud. Please don't believe that.. Its making, story, bgm everything is fine except some casting like Tiny tom, sadhika veugopal and asha sharath ...first two where overacting and asha sharath was struggling.. Overall its great to wacth in the big screen.
Suresh Gopi & Neeta Pillai's splendid performances make this bloated, unimaginative thriller watchable
nidhunmoviebuff1 August 2022
Joshiy is perhaps the greatest mass movie maker Malayalam has ever seen with the possible exception of Shaji Kailas. From "New Delhi (1987)" to "Lion (2006)", the master director has given us an array of character-driven mass heroes, in direct contrast to the template physicality we have seen in the genre, relying more on power of personality and dialogue to deliver mass elevation sequences. In "Paappan", he gives us a more understated, brooding and low key avatar of superstar Suresh Gopi which while being appreciable, still just barely manages to salvage an overlong, trite film.
The story follows the journey of retired Circle Inspector "Abraham Paappan" (Suresh Gopi) and his estranged daughter, ASP Vincy Abraham (an excellent Neeta Pillai) as they are forced to put aside their differences and work together to track down an elusive serial killer. The writing from RJ Shaan is unimaginative and cliche-ridden, relying on familiar tropes we have seen umpteen times in films such as "Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kalathu (1990)", "Memories (2013)" and "Anjaam Pathiraa (2020)", offering nothing ingenuitive or unexpected to justify its overlong, overstuffed 2 hour 50 minute run-time.
The supporting performances from Asha Sharath, Nandhu, Gokul Suresh, Kaniha and co remain surface-level and without impact not due to their performances but due to clear lack of tightness in the script and depth in the writing. There are so many characters moving in and out of the narrative without ever justifying their presence that after a point the audience will want to give up. The director might have thought these barrage of red herrings would have built up the suspense element, but they act contradictory to expectations, giving a contrived and exhausting sheen to proceedings.
It was refreshing to see Suresh Gopi in an aged, battle-weary avatar as a dejected cop trying to rewrite old wrongs and Neeta Pillai holds her own as a fierce, steadfast cop who habitually puts duty above family and relationships. Unfortunately, the script and narrative fall apart around them the more you get into the movie, with the vapid, cringeworthy climax, especially leaving a bad taste in the mouth. Watch this one at your own risk. In a year that gave Malayalam thrillers of the level of "Twenty One Grams" and "Ela Veezha Poonchira", "Paappan" does not pass the acid test and ends up being sub-par. If you are expecting classic Joshiy level thrills and chills, you will be sorely disappointed!
The story follows the journey of retired Circle Inspector "Abraham Paappan" (Suresh Gopi) and his estranged daughter, ASP Vincy Abraham (an excellent Neeta Pillai) as they are forced to put aside their differences and work together to track down an elusive serial killer. The writing from RJ Shaan is unimaginative and cliche-ridden, relying on familiar tropes we have seen umpteen times in films such as "Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kalathu (1990)", "Memories (2013)" and "Anjaam Pathiraa (2020)", offering nothing ingenuitive or unexpected to justify its overlong, overstuffed 2 hour 50 minute run-time.
The supporting performances from Asha Sharath, Nandhu, Gokul Suresh, Kaniha and co remain surface-level and without impact not due to their performances but due to clear lack of tightness in the script and depth in the writing. There are so many characters moving in and out of the narrative without ever justifying their presence that after a point the audience will want to give up. The director might have thought these barrage of red herrings would have built up the suspense element, but they act contradictory to expectations, giving a contrived and exhausting sheen to proceedings.
It was refreshing to see Suresh Gopi in an aged, battle-weary avatar as a dejected cop trying to rewrite old wrongs and Neeta Pillai holds her own as a fierce, steadfast cop who habitually puts duty above family and relationships. Unfortunately, the script and narrative fall apart around them the more you get into the movie, with the vapid, cringeworthy climax, especially leaving a bad taste in the mouth. Watch this one at your own risk. In a year that gave Malayalam thrillers of the level of "Twenty One Grams" and "Ela Veezha Poonchira", "Paappan" does not pass the acid test and ends up being sub-par. If you are expecting classic Joshiy level thrills and chills, you will be sorely disappointed!
Great triller
prathyushpad29 July 2022
Great Movie to watch.
josephvez1 August 2022
Good investigative police procedural movie with a lot of thrilling elements . Glad that this movie didn't fall into similar old timer director's movie. As the twist/trill scenes are much better and not as a false promotion as in "Aarattu" movie. Everyone have a great roles with good acting. Felt this movie has a great role for the lead actress and she absolutely did well. Everything is just right with no overwhelming dialogue deliveries. Just good investigative triller to watch.
An okayish thriller with a toned-down Suresh Gopi! [+49%]
arungeorge137 September 2022
Paappan is an excessively long murder mystery thriller that fails to utilize its leading star to the fullest. With so many characters and subplots that stretch the run-time, the first half of the film basically goes nowhere. When some of the plot points and twists are gradually unfurled, we are immediately reminded of another Joshiy film from the '90s. There isn't a whole lot to talk about when it comes to the screenplay treatment - Joshiy's directorial effort is as old-school as it can get - it's just the technicalities that (naturally) show improvement. I feel Jakes Bejoy's score was less impactful this time around, or maybe it's because the script didn't have any powerful, elevating moments for Suresh Gopi.
The film does pick up pace and offers mild thrills in the final 30 minutes, even when certain tropes (from every thriller in the last few decades) are conveniently added. I don't think any of the performances in Paappan are worth a special mention (including SG's), though amongst the lot, Shammi Thilakan does notably well in a post-interval scene. Neeta Pillai gets a lot of screen-time but unfortunately plays an IPS officer who makes routinely silly decisions, running behind every loose end. Gokul Suresh doesn't have much to do except be a typical "pillar of support" for the lead. While Paappan won't bore you to death, it ultimately doesn't fall under the memorable category either.
The film does pick up pace and offers mild thrills in the final 30 minutes, even when certain tropes (from every thriller in the last few decades) are conveniently added. I don't think any of the performances in Paappan are worth a special mention (including SG's), though amongst the lot, Shammi Thilakan does notably well in a post-interval scene. Neeta Pillai gets a lot of screen-time but unfortunately plays an IPS officer who makes routinely silly decisions, running behind every loose end. Gokul Suresh doesn't have much to do except be a typical "pillar of support" for the lead. While Paappan won't bore you to death, it ultimately doesn't fall under the memorable category either.
One of the best thrillers in recent times
crravikiran30 July 2022
Joshiy- Suresh Gopi combo lives up to its reputation once again. This movie gave me lelam vibes. The movie is definitely an edge of the seat thriller . At the interval you may feel it's the same plot of chintamani kolacase but second half proves you wrong with unexpected twists. The lady police inspector did a brilliant job . Some people may bring politics here and degrade the movie but don't listen to them as they themselves know it's a brilliant movie .
Watchable
thannyvishnu25 September 2022
What makes paappan a good watch when compared to a number of thrillers being dropped to mollywood recently?. Just because the complications they shown in this movie are well explained. There were few thriller movies released in Malayalam in the recent times, but most of them were not able to explain all the links they've put to progress the story. But Paappan does it and does it well. The story line does lacks a powerful base,but the way they narrated and executed is appreciable. A decent and different attempt from Joshiy. Never expected such a calm, organised approach from him. Can't be described as totally engaging,but okay. Yes a Good Watch.
average movie
sreekanthsuresh8 August 2022
Film is an average thriller with unpredictable villian which was nice.
But first half was very lagging for me like a serial so many scenes were predictable.
Nice songs and cinematography was wonderful.
SG sir hats off shammi thilakan superb acting.
But first half was very lagging for me like a serial so many scenes were predictable.
Nice songs and cinematography was wonderful.
SG sir hats off shammi thilakan superb acting.
Would be enjoyable for those who watch without any expectation.
indiansmark29 July 2022
I was very much hesitant to watch this film as the last film that I saw of both the director(veteran Joshiy) and the principal protagonist(Suresh Gopi) were disasters in every possible way.
For the former, the last film that I saw was Laila O Laila, which was nothing but a horrendous rehash of True Lies, and for the latter, the last film that is saw was another horrendous venture, King and Commissioner, which was just a vehicle to cash on the past glory.
As there weren't any likable option for my weekly does of cinema in the nearest theatre, I opted to watch this film sans any expectation.
The film is about a female cop investigating series of murders which are somehow linked with each other. To ensure that the case is solved, her senior unofficially appoints a former cop, who happens to be her father and with whom she shares an uneasy relation. The rest of the film shows how the cop solves the case with the help of her father.
As it involves the usual tropes of investigative film, a admirer of such films would enjoy the film till the very end. The technical aspects of the film was laudable except for the climax and dialogue delivery of the lead actress which were shoddy in nature.
The veteran director, Joshiy, should be praised for keeping himself relevant with films like Pappan. One wonders as to how the director is able to keep himself relevant even after being written off and being in the industry for decades(only other exception is Sathyan Anthikkad).
In terms of performance, apart from Suresh Gopi (praise should be showered for portraying age related roles unlike his peers) among the supporting actors comprising of Shammi Thilakan, Vijayraghavan and Ajmal enacted their parts well. Except for his scenes with his father, Gokul Suresh was at the most inconsequential.
It would be interesting to see if both the director and the lead actor keep themselves relevant with such ventures for the future.
For the former, the last film that I saw was Laila O Laila, which was nothing but a horrendous rehash of True Lies, and for the latter, the last film that is saw was another horrendous venture, King and Commissioner, which was just a vehicle to cash on the past glory.
As there weren't any likable option for my weekly does of cinema in the nearest theatre, I opted to watch this film sans any expectation.
The film is about a female cop investigating series of murders which are somehow linked with each other. To ensure that the case is solved, her senior unofficially appoints a former cop, who happens to be her father and with whom she shares an uneasy relation. The rest of the film shows how the cop solves the case with the help of her father.
As it involves the usual tropes of investigative film, a admirer of such films would enjoy the film till the very end. The technical aspects of the film was laudable except for the climax and dialogue delivery of the lead actress which were shoddy in nature.
The veteran director, Joshiy, should be praised for keeping himself relevant with films like Pappan. One wonders as to how the director is able to keep himself relevant even after being written off and being in the industry for decades(only other exception is Sathyan Anthikkad).
In terms of performance, apart from Suresh Gopi (praise should be showered for portraying age related roles unlike his peers) among the supporting actors comprising of Shammi Thilakan, Vijayraghavan and Ajmal enacted their parts well. Except for his scenes with his father, Gokul Suresh was at the most inconsequential.
It would be interesting to see if both the director and the lead actor keep themselves relevant with such ventures for the future.
Best thriller movie after ANJAAM PATHIRA.Very happy in sg's comeback
avadharsh-5323230 July 2022
Very good seat edge thriller with good making. SG was stunning as usual in different style and Neetha pillai just nailed as lady cop. Jakes bgm was outstanding. Joshy sir's direction is still updating. Camera ,color grading everything was fine technically. Asha sarath was acted very badly.
Different from usual thrillers, solid script and amazing performance of Suresh gopi
sachinxavr29 July 2022
Paappan is a fantastic film. You will surely get a different thriller experience as it has a powerful script.
All the characterizations were perfect especially sureshettan and lady ips officer. Sureshettan really nailed it.
Usually, most of the thrillers follow a pattern with lots of unnecessary characters and incidents which are artificially confusing. But paappan is truly engaging with good connecting points.
In the climax, sureshettan's performance will give you goosebumps.
Joshy sir's direction was amazing also dop. Bgm really rocks with contexts.
My rating is 9.5 out of 10.
All the characterizations were perfect especially sureshettan and lady ips officer. Sureshettan really nailed it.
Usually, most of the thrillers follow a pattern with lots of unnecessary characters and incidents which are artificially confusing. But paappan is truly engaging with good connecting points.
In the climax, sureshettan's performance will give you goosebumps.
Joshy sir's direction was amazing also dop. Bgm really rocks with contexts.
My rating is 9.5 out of 10.
Shades of Joshi's Ee Thanutha Veluppankaalathu
PimpinAinttEasy29 July 2022
Watched this first day first show. A bit of a ridiculous subject for a mass movie and it was too long. But it somehow remained intriguing till the end. Think I might have been swayed by Neeta Pillai as a tough police woman in uniform. She looked cute despite her overacting. Suresh Gopi phones it in. Don't think he cares too much anymore. He has put on weight and looks too bulky to be taken seriously. The film did have shades of Joshi's Ee Thanutha Veluppaankaalathu with an old school photograph providing an important clue. Anyway, it was all too far fetched and over the top. I am surprised Joshi and Suresh Gopi decided to go ahead with this subject.
#Pappan
iamarjunkurup26 August 2022
Cliché ridden movie. We've seem b
chackappank12 September 2022
Reading all the glowing reviews make me wonder if I have seen the same movie these guys have watched. It has used all the clichés. The cliché breaking scene where Vijayaraghavan makes fun of movies with killers quoting bible verses was good though. Neetu's police office character seemed really stupid. Before identifying the body of the first victim, a news release happens. Acting wise also she has to go a long way. Even Pappan who seemed to have found out the killer much earlier waits until the final murder to apprehend the killer. A lot of people have given good reviews just because they like Suresh Gopi and not because the movie is good.
Come back
roshinrbecks30 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Great movie
Watched it today.. It was a fine movie with an excellent story and climax. There are somany peoples trying to degrade the movie because of personal/ political feud. Please don't believe that.. Its making, story, bgm everything is fine except some casting like Tiny tom, sadhika veugopal and asha sharath ...first two where overacting and asha sharath was struggling.. Overall its great to wacth in the big screen.
Vintage Suresh Gopi
somali-704587 August 2022
Miscast of SuGopi as a hero
uictracker29 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Watched movie. Joshy sir as always brought a thriller element ,but hero is a miscast ,If he is replaced by a much better guy movie would have scored much better. His arrogance and energy of old movies is no more exist now.
Excellent work
mmmenonneelangattu31 July 2022
One of the excellent thriller movie.. In malayalam. Sharp script. Suspense. Twist. Story. Camera work. Performance..All are great.its a mass come back of super star suresh gopi.. Director joshy again upgrade his talent. Amazing performance by lady actress nitha pillai. Shummy thilakan also nice..
Superb thriller movie must watch guys.....
gopikagokulpk1 August 2022
Well directed thriller movie...
amjithbbm31 July 2022
Start to end thriller without wasting ur time.. SG came back in a passionate way. All the characters in this film played a vital role to make this film a huge success. The director himself proved the class of action and thrillers.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
