Papanasam - Tamil "Drisyham" Remake- Kamal Hassan, Gauthami

"Papanasam," the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film "Drishyam." Both were directed by Jeethu Joseph. I haven't seen the original, (based on the novel "The Devotion of Suspect X") so I can't compare the two. This version was a taut, gripping thriller. The film spends time in the beginning familiarizing us with Kamal's family and establishing his relationship with the people in the town. So by the time the plot kicks in we really care about what happens to them. I won't reveal anything about what happens after that, for those who haven't seen "Drishyam." Kamal was fantastic, and it was great to see him in a more down-to-earth, less "show-offy" role than he usually does. Except for his Nellai accent and dialect, he doesn't put on any weird make-up or have any quirks that indicate that he's Acting with a capital A.

I will have to see "Drishyam" now to see how Mohanlal plays the same role. This film is spreading like wildfire across India, having had Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada remakes, with a Hindi remake coming up as well.

Baradwaj Rangan's review