Oppam - A Review :Mohanlal plays a blind man in this cat-and-mouse thriller
Jayaraman (Mohanlal) is a blind man who works as a caretaker at a multi storied apartment complex in the heart of the city and when a retired judge Nambiar (Nedumudi Venu) gets murdered in his flat, tumbles across more than just the corpse. When he realizes that the assassin would stop at nothing until he has his hands over Nambiar's daughter who is away at a boarding school, Jayaraman decides to battle it out in the dark.
'Oppam' has enough and more of those gasp inducing instants, thanks to its very unique idea of the killer being at just an arm's length away from the target and with the sense of intense intrigue hanging in the air. It's the kind of film that strives hard to live up to the tremendous potential of its setup, and succeeds for the most part.
This is a grisly game that is on, and an engaging one at that, with the antagonist always at an advantage courtesy the protagonist's disability that easily puts him under the shadows. This film does not work up the suspense, and instead focuses on the edginess that grows from knowing the nasty truth and comprehending that very little could perhaps be done about it.
It's another matter that it ultimately fizzles out to a climax that is way too drawn out and predictable, and though it could be disputed that a thriller film as this should have the requisite thriller moments, 'Oppam' carries it forward a bit too much, that it eventually appears extended beyond the essential.
One should probably not delve too much into the loopholes that the script leaves in its wake, for then it would rob the film of the delight that it offers. But it remains that 'Oppam' could have done scores better with a script that ties up those loose ends, and pays a tad more attention to the black holes that it falls into every now and then.
It's been a while since we had seen Mohanlal in a taxing avatar as in 'Oppam', and here is a role that demands the real actor in him, unlike the several immaterial roles that he had been cast in, of late. In 'Oppam', the actor is in fine form, and it's his astonishing act that carries the film forward, even on occasions when it seems that it's sauntering away from its course. 'Oppam' belongs to Mohanlal, and to Mohanlal alone, and had it not been for this incredible performer, the film would have hardly risen to the stature that it has.
'Oppam' has a supporting cast that is reminiscent of those Priyadarshan films of yore, and with seasoned actors like Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Mamukkoya and Kunchan around, takes you back to those years that had seen the best of the film maker's works. There is however Vimala Raman, in the mother of all miscasts, and who looks and acts like a supermodel of a maid. In sharp contrast, Anusree with a mellowed and highly imposing performance, emphasizes even further, what an untapped actor she truly is. A special word of appreciation for the young actor Meenakshi, who is a charmer, without doubt.
'Oppam' is a film that lives and breathes on account of the spirited performance of its lead actor. It's a good film that could have been a great one, had it not become too obsessed with its own elaborate and exaggerated plot orchestrations.
Director: Priyadarshan
Cinematography: N. K. Ekambaram
cast: Mohanlal, Samuthirakani, Nandini
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