Panchatanthiram

Not that I've seen every movie in the annals of Tamil Cinema... But among all that I've seen and heard of Panchatanthiram tops the list. The slapstick humor of Crazy Mohan's script is hard to describe - the spontaneity of his jokes is somehow both hilarious and believable.

Kamal Haasan is at his comedic best. He has distinguished over nearly half a century as an actor capable of playing characters that are psychotic or amusing, pathetic or heroic. Ram, who he plays here is a playboy who discards bachelorhood when he meets his wife, played by Simran. She is always suspicious of his amorous nature (possibly due to the fact that she found him giving a Frencher to an ex-girlfriend at their marriage reception). A comic series of misadventures finally culminating in their separation lays the plot for the movie.

Throw in the comedy of Ram and his four quirky friends (particularly the one played by Yugi Sethu) stuck in the middle of a murder they did not commit, pestered by Yugi's father-in-law (who thinks whiskey is cold coffee), threatened by the charismatic (oh, sorry, I meant sexy) Ramya Krishnan, all the while trying to bring Ram and Mythili (Simran)back together.

There are some unforgettable scenes, like the dead body caught in a laundry chute. A lot of the verbal humor is based on colloquy in Tamil, one of Crazy Mohan's characteristics; they might not come across well in subtitles. Nevertheless, several of the jokes and actions will throw even people who don't know Tamil into hysterics. Kamal Haasan fans will be committing treason if they miss this one; even those who are not crazy about him (few of them out there) will enjoy this masterpiece of the master of Tamil cinema.

the movie is indeed funny and believable too. i would say very good performance from kamal hassan, jay ram (malayalee guy), ramesh aravind (kanada guy), seeman (telugu guy) , urvasi (malayallee guy's wife) and sim ran. the movie starts with flight high jack and how the captain (hero of this film) with heroine saves the flight. even the marriage scenes are pretty funny. where ram( kamal hassan) is caught kissing another girl( his previous girl friend). deva yani though a short role did well in the role of a girl who wants to commit suicide as she is heart wrecked. ram goes to a hotel to save her and in turn mistaken by his wife as he is her lover. Normally a serious scene but handled in a pretty funny way. later how his friends try to encourage him what are the consequences they face is the movie all about.

the movie is equally funny in tamil and telugu . very well translated.

Panchatanthiram (2002) : Brief Review -

A creative and concrete bridge between Classic Hollywood Comedy 'Arsenic And Old Lace' and Hilarious Tamill Comedy 'Charlie Chaplin' with Hysterical gags. I wanted to use different tagline in regular format and keep this spoilers stuff in the middle but then i thought how many people have actually seen those films. So, they won't find a link between those two films and cannot predict the story. Let me elaborate a little, first, Frank Capra's popular 'Arsenic And Old Lace' (1944). A hysterical comedy revolves around a dead body and the protagonist tries to hide it from every visitor of the house. Second is, 'Charlie Chaplin' (2002), a hysterical Tamil Comedy which has been remade in other industries. It tells a hilarious story of a husband's misunderstood affair with a call girl. KS Ravikumar's Panchatanthiram mixes these two storylines to offer a non-stop laugh riot. Kamal Haasan plays Ram, a Playboy yet a loyal husband who goes on tricking to hide a dead body first and then his non-existent affair from his possesive wife who have always found him guilty by mistake. It creates a mad chaos and similar cover-up but then brings more unexpected twists in the second half. While doing so, it does not forget to fulfill the basic demand which is, providing situational gags. Kamal Haasan is fantastic as Ram in every situation and it's full of variations despite having a single baring throughout. His English accent, misleading facts and that climax speech when he speaks in multiple languages everything is so freaking amazing. The cast is huge and everyone does provide little little from their sides to cook a sweet dish for family audience. Ravikumar's direction is absolutely flawless. You know, in this genre many director commit mistakes while gambling with the characters and creating confusion though unrealistic situations but Ravikumar had enough sense to realise that the confusion has to be interim otherwise it becomes a loop. So, overall, a Fancy Classic.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

This is the best comedy movie I have seen in my life, and it will be the best for ages

This movie is a legit lesson to all screenwriters who would want to explore their skills in the comedy arena.