Filmworld
'Papanasam' - where actor Kamal supersedes the star (Tamil Movie Review, Rating)
By
By Haricharan Pudipeddi
Film: "Papanasam"; Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami, Nivetha Thomas,
Kalabhavan Mani, Asha Sharrath, Ananth Mahadevan, Esther Anil; Director:
Jeethu Joseph; Rating:****
The Kamal Haasan we get to see in
"Papanasam", the Tamil remake of Malayalam blockbuster "Drishyam", is
the actor that made him a legend; an acting idol for many contemporary
and upcoming actors.
Not the star he has grown into in recent
years trying to don multiple hats - direct, write, sing, and produce -
all at once. And it had become a major concern not because Kamal is bad
at these things, but mostly because it made the actor we all love
overpowered by the star. So when Kamal, in "Papanasam", showcases what
he can do when he concentrates on only acting, plain acting, it's a
treat to watch him on screen, even if it means for three long hours.
For
those who've watched the original, its faithful remake "Papanasam"
doesn't come as a surprise, yet Kamal's presence along with the flawless
ensemble performance of the supporting cast makes it a riveting
thriller.
Kamal plays Suyambulingam, a cable-TV operator and a
cinematic fanatic, whose world revolves around his family; his wife and
two daughters. If one of the joys of watching "Papanasam" is to see
Kamal, for once, just act, the other is to see the ease with which he
slips into the shoes of a villager. Because it's been a long time since
he has played anything close to what we see of him in this film. And
it's terrific to see Kamal play a role that doesn't require you to brush
up your basics about bombs, chemistry, world economy, terrorism, chaos
theory et al.
"Papanasam" is a thriller as much as it's a family
drama. It's about two families and how difficult it is to raise children
today. For instance, when Gautami eavesdrops on a conversation in which
her daughter talks about being photographed by some kid in school, her
instant reaction is funny, but totally understandable. There's also a
wonderful stretch where Kamal feels bad for making his children do
things they are not supposed to do and feels guilty about it, only to
quickly realise anybody in his place would've reacted the same way.
In
another beautiful scene towards the end, members of both the families
meet and talk about their children. While one family admits to have not
raised their child well, the other talks about how selfish they were to
save theirs.
The film also focuses on so many other things like
class divide, abuse of power, police brutality, and finally on the
impact of cinema on our lives. In cinema, it's tough to differentiate
between a truth and a lie because everything that's shown is mostly
taken for granted. We get exactly that in "Papanasama, in which Kamal is
the creator, who makes everybody around him believe the lies he shows
them.
The film also has a few lovely meta references like the
onscreen romance between Kamal and Gautami, who are real life partners.
Like Suyambulingam, Kamal too has two daughters and is an avid film
lover.
Director Jeethu Joseph needs special mention for bringing
back the Kamal we love watching onscreen and also for extracting stellar
performances from other actors such as Ananth Mahadevan and Asha
Sharath. Ananth's scene with Kamal in the end is one of the reasons why
the film shouldn't be missed. Nivetha, who missed being part of the
original, is terrific.
"Papanasam" is the best and the most
faithful remake of the original. It shows what Kamal Haasan is capable
of doing when he's at his best.