Cast:  Mohanlal, Baby Meenakshi, Samuthirakani, Vimala Raman, Anusree etc.
Direction: Priyadarshan
Banner: Aashirvad Cinemas
Music: Ron Ethan Yohaan
Cinematography: NK Ekambaram
Release Date: Feb 3, 2016

Oppam is a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film in Malayalam. Mohanlal has become very much familiar to Telugu spectators with the films Janatha Garage, Manamantha and Manyam Puli. Director Priyadarshan is also well-known. Let’s see whether Kanupapa will appeal to Telugu spectators or not…

Story:
Jayaram (Mohanlal), a born blind, has a heightened sense of smell, hearing and touch. He works as a lift operator in an apartment, as he wants to earn money for his sister's marriage. He is loyal to Krishnamoorthy, a retired judge residing in the same apartment. Krishnamoorthy shares some crucial secrets to Jayaram. Meanwhile, series of murders happen and one among them is of Krishnamoorthy. All the deceased has a connection.

Jayaraman manages to find the killer and takes on him, but he flees from the spot. When the police arrive, Jayaraman becomes the prime suspect.

Who is the killer? What’s the secret Krishnamoorthy unveils to Jayaram? What’s the motive of killings? Where it ends?

Positives:
1. Mohanlal Performance
2. Samuthirakani
3. Music

Negatives:
1. Sluggish Narration
2. Nativity
3. Predictable Screenplay
4. Lengthy Runtime

Analysis:

Mohanlal is in excellent form with consecutive hits. He is slowly enlarging market in Telugu. His last film Manyam Puli did decent business here. Good thing about him is he is mostly picking experimental subjects. Kanupapa was a big hit in Malayalam and off late Telugu spectators are encouraging experimental and thriller subjects. 

Given that Kanupapa is a crime thriller, what's intriguing is the director's treatment of the subject. About 15 minutes into it, the film looks like a promising family drama and has no trace of being a crime thriller. But the film picks up pace when Krishnamoorthy reveals his past to Jayaram. However, unwanted episodes in the apartment tests patience. Interval bang, where villain is revealed, is stimulating. However, narration turns bit slow with police interrogating and torturing Jayaram in second half. Lengthy runtime indeed is major drawback. At last, climax episode was attention-grabbing.

Artists Performances:
The stellar performance from Mohanlal adds to the merits of this thriller in a crucial way. The versatile genius nails the role effortlessly. He makes the blind character look so believable with a matured performance that needs to be applauded. Samuthirakani needs a special mention for his good show. He was scary in climax episodes. Vimala Raman was good and Anusree is impressive. Baby Meenakshi was cute. Other artists were okay.

Technical Aspect:
Priyadarshan penned an interesting story, but treatment was not so engaging. Except for starting episodes and interval sequence, first half was boring. Then, there were some pleasing sequences in second half. Priyadarshan should have taken special care on screenplay. He should have at least chopped off the film by few minutes for an engaging ride. Couple of songs in first half was pleasant and background score is fascinating. Cinematography by NK Ekambaram was neat. He captured rural locations of Kerala quite pleasantly. Editing should have been sharp and production values are high in standard.

Verdict:
Kanupapa is technically graceful, visually likeable and features a fantastic performance by all leading actors, especially Mohanlal. It is also inanely protracted and after a while, conceited in its effort to scare. Multiplex audiences may like the film.

TeluguOne Perspective:
Strictly For Thriller Movie Lovers

Rating: 2.75