Papanasam

Remade in Tamil from a Malayam film Drishyam, Papanasam stars Kamal Haasan, Gauthami and Asha Sharath. After a long time I found a movie with no frills managing to keep me gripped solely on the strength of its story and acting.

Suyambulingam is a cable operator living with his wife and two daughters in a small town by the same name. Though educated only till 4th class, he has acquired for himself a home, 5 acres land, a jeep and a bike. Many of the things that he has learnt have come through the movies that he watches daily. Everything is going well, until one night in his absence his elder daughter Selvi accidentally kills her blackmailer Varun (IG Geetha's son) and his wife helps to dispose off the body. When Suyambulingam returns and finds what has happened, he quickly grasps that an inquiry regarding Varun's disappearnce would be imminent and the connection to his daughter will for sure be revealed. He then uses all his knowledge from films to protect his family. The fact that the steps that he takes are intelligently crafted and are not predictable make the film interesting till the end.

Keeping the entertainment quotient of the film aside, I would like to highlight something which struck me here. In the first half of Papanasam, Suyambulingam is shown as a hardworking and upright man. He refuses to accept a delayed dowry from his father-in-law. He stands up against an arrogant, local constable, Perumal who tries to make use of his power and troubles people for personal gain. When told to be careful in his behaviour towards men with authority, he says that being innocent he is not scared of the police and only fears God. But this God fearing nature is instantaneously pushed aside the moment Suyambulingam is himself put to test. He does not take much time in hatching plans to keep the truth from coming out. As he proceeds in his endeavour, that he has a guilty conscience is never really shown. Only towards the close does he express his sadness at having taught his children to lie.

It appeared to me that the story tends to justify the protagonist's actions in terms of his belief that the law will not consider Varun's death an accident, that Varun was blackmailing would not be revealed and that his daughter and wife would be sent to jail which would besmirch their names. But God knows our hearts and we wouldn't be able to absolve ourselves as easily in front of Him.

The Bible tells us that He wants us to be holy and perfect, just the way He is. In Matthew Chapter 8, Jesus Christ has warned:

7 Woe to the world because of offences! For offences must come, but woe to that man by whom the offence comes!

What He says further in verses 8 and 9 tells us how strict or disciplined we have to be with ourselves to match the standards expected of us.

8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it out from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

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