Papanasam: Poignant family drama Led by Kamal Haasan

Hello Friends,

By now many of you have heard, read, debated, discussed Papanasam enough and vociferously argued for MohanLal or KamalHasan, enough too. So just when I thought, what can I add new that people already don’t know? A friend asks me this morning: What is Drishyam? And continues to admit – Nopes, I have not yet watched Papanasam. And readers, mind you she is a Tamilian. So here I write this piece, keeping in mind a section of audience who are blissfully unaware of the Drishyam – Papanasam movements that have been attacking Chennai.

Plot: A loving family (comprising father: Kamal Haasan, mother: Gauthami Tadimalla and two young daughters: Niveda Thomas and Esther Anil) living in the heartland of TamilNadu gets entangled in a complicated mess of drama and deceit. The terrible situation and its associated stickiness that they find themselves in are too scary for this typical middle class family used to a routine: of idlis for breakfast, rushing to school in the mornings and watching TV together in the evenings. This is when the father, a cable TV operator and a compulsive movie addict steps in to protect his family through well thought out alibis, fabricated evidences and casual demeanour. In spite of being tortured and interrogated by the police, till they very end they stick together and not once do they divulge the murder that they have committed accidentally.

Costumes: Attention to detail is there in the costumes, as most of them are the typical clothes of a small town middle class family.

Décor: Scenic beauty of the interior and verdant TamilNadu thick with trees is captured. Especially the house that the family resides in is nestled amidst acres of plantain trees and others types of plants. It is indeed breathtaking at the same time a peaceful setting filled with solitude.

Acting: It would be a blasphemy on my part to discuss the talent and capabilities of the versatile Kamal Hasan. But it has to be acknowledged that MohanLal stole our hearts FOREVER with his: childlike charm, disarming smile, manly body language, subtle mannerisms, passionate overtures with wife, doting father actions, gait with one hand on the dhoti, deep booming voice He was completely convincing as a self-made man out to guard his family and do whatever it takes to do that.