Papanasam (film)

After the commercial and critical success of the 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal, several regional producers approached the makers for remake rights. A Tamil version was planned to be jointly produced by Suresh Balaje, George Pius of Wide Angle Creations, Rajkumar Sethupathi and Sripriya Rajkumar of Raj Kumar Theatre. The team subsequently signed on Kamal Haasan in late January 2014, to enact the leading role after successful negotiations, with Jeethu Joseph choosing to direct the Tamil version himself.[3][4] Jeethu said that Rajinikanth was initially approached to do the lead role and although he was interested to take up the role, he had doubts regarding a few scenes and how they would appeal to his fans.[5] The pair then chose to alter the storyline to feature a Hindu family from Papanasam instead of Christian Keralite's, to make it familiar with Tamil audiences.[5] Jeethu further said that the Tamil version had been made "more emotional" since Kamal Haasan felt that Tamil audiences like to be "emotionally piqued".[6] In August 2014, the film was reported to be titled Papanasam.[7] Pranav Mohanlal joined the team as an assistant director during the film's first schedule.[8] Jeyamohan was selected to write the dialogues for the film.[9] Noted writer/ director Sukawho is known for his characteristic Tirunelveli based short story series called 'Moongil Moochu' that was published in Ananda Vikatan trained Kamal Hassan to speak in Tirunelveli accent.[10][11]

Several actresses were considered and approached for the leading female roles, before the team made a final decision. Simran was reported to have signed the film, though she later stated that she was not working in the film.[12][13] Nadhiya,[14] Sridevi,[15] and Abhirami were also considered for roles in the film.[16] Joseph confirmed that Sridevi was not part of the project and that the team would make the official announcements as soon as the cast and crew were finalized.[17] Kamal Haasan's partner Gautami was later confirmed to play Meena's role from the original in June 2014, marking her comeback to acting after a sixteen-year sabbatical.[18][19] Asha Sarath was chosen to reprise her role as a police officer from the original version,[20] while Kalabhavan Mani would portray Kalabhavan Shajon's role from the original.[21][22] Niveda Thomas was signed on to play the elder daughter of the lead pair,[23] while child artiste Esther Anil was also added to the cast, reprising her role from the original as well.[24] Anant Mahadevan was selected to play the role of Siddique from the Malayalam version.[25] Roshan Basheer was also selected to reprise his role as Varun from the original.[26]

Jeethu Joseph confirmed that shooting for the film would commence from the second half of 2014.[27] The film kick-started with a formal pooja on 16 July 2014.[28][29] Principal photography commenced on 25 August 2014.[30][31] with first schedule beginning in Tirunelveli where scenes featuring Kamal Haasan and Gautami were initially shot.[32] Shooting took place in Nanguneri and Tenkasi , kuthukalvalasai, Mekkarai, a town in the Tirunelveli district.[33] Shooting also took place in Thodupuzha in the house originally used in the Malayalam version. The house underwent minor changes to look like a Tamil household.[34] Working stills from the film were released on 11 September 2014.[35] The shooting of the film was completed on 26 October 2014.[36]

Sathish Paul, a Malayalam filmmaker-scriptwriter filed a petition with the Ernakulam District Court asking to stop the Tamil remake of Drishyam, alleging that the original film was a copy of his story published as a book in May 2013 called Oru Mazhakalathu. Benoy Kadavan, Sathish's advocate, informed that his client was told by Jeethu that Drishyam was going to be a family drama, and not a thriller. But when the movie was released, he noted that it was an exact copy and that a notice was sent to Jeethu Joseph and both the Malayalam and the Tamil production houses asking for equal shares in the profits of the film.[37] Jeethu clarified that his story might have had some similarities with the Japanese film, Suspect X (2008), but cited that it was not a copy of any other story and was willing to move to the high court to prove it.[38]

In mid-March 2015, it was proved at the High Court that the allegation was false, with a verdict being passed confirming the film's originality.[39][40]

The film receives highly positive reviews. Hindustan Times gave the film 4 out of 5 and stated "A must watch for those fans of Kamal who have been waiting to see him as an actor -- not just a star driven to stunts".[62] Deccan Chronicle gave 4 stars as well and wrote, "Riffing a sophisticated mix of the human condition and a simplistic storyline, Papanasam is a movie that engages your senses while managing to dispel any misgivings on a timely basis...director Jeethu Joseph has recreated the original magic of Drishyam but with a more localized flavor to boot".[63] Filmibeat rated the film 4.5 out of 5 and concluded "Papanasam is a winning script and retaining Jeethu Joseph has helped immensely. But when a performer called Kamal Haasan takes up such a project, magic on screen is rest assured."[64]

Sify wrote "the Tamil version is even tighter (than Drishyam) and there is absolutely no room for error in the writing. Flawless is the word", going on to call the film "excellent".[65] Writing for Rediff, Sukanya Verma, while calling the film a "worthy remake of Drishyam, stated, "I still like Drishyam better but Papanasam is a laudable runner up even if somewhat self-aware".[66] Baradwaj Rangan of the Hindu wrote "A faithful remake, a solid thriller "[67]

The film collected ₹8 crore (US$1.1 million) in first day.[68]