Oppam Explained: What is the story of Mohanlal starrer being remade by Priyadarshan as Haiwaan ft Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

Director Priyadarshan is gearing up to begin shooting for his movie Haiwaan, starring Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar in the lead roles. It is touted to be the remake of Mohanlal starrer Oppam (2016).

If you haven’t watched the film, here’s an explainer that you should definitely check out.

Oppam Explained: What is the story behind Mohanlal’s action thriller?

Oppam features the story of Jayaraman (played by Mohanlal), who was born blind. Owing to his challenges, the man has a heightened sense of smell, hearing, and touch, and is an expert in the martial art of Kalaripayattu.

The blind man works as a lift operator in an apartment complex and is the trusted aide of a retired Supreme Court Justice, Krishnamoorthy. Loyal to the former leader of the apex court, Jayaraman accompanies him on a search for someone.

While Jayaraman never asks why or who he is searching for, Krishnamoorthy reveals that during his tenure as a judge, he wrongfully convicted a man named Vasudevan, aka Vasu. As a result, the convict’s family took their own lives in shock, leaving the convict to go insane within the jail walls.

Over the years, Krishnamoorthy fears that if Vasudevan exacts his revenge, it will be a search to confront him before matters turn worse. In addition to this, the former Chief Justice has hidden his own daughter, Nandini, in a convent school, leaving Jayaraman as the only line of communication with her.

Soon, we are shown that Nandini’s life in school is serene, with Jayaraman being her only father figure. While she wants to learn more about her actual father, Jayaraman often persuades her to believe he will bring her father next time to visit.

As days pass, an extravagant wedding takes place in the apartment complex, with all the tenants being part of it. However, as fate would have it, Jayaraman feels something is off, only to find Krishnamoorthy dead in his apartment.

Inside the space, Jayaraman feels the presence of a 3rd person, the killer himself. While he tries to capture him, it is revealed that it was indeed Vasudevan who exacted his revenge. Upon learning that the former is a blind man, Vasu makes his escape.

Over the next days, the police conduct their investigation with suspicions pointing towards Jayaraman. Despite the blind man trying to convey the truth about Vasu, the police don’t believe him and try to pin Jayaraman as the culprit who murdered Krishnamoorthy and stole his money.

All this time, an insane Vasu wants to close all ends to him by eliminating Jayaraman as well.

What happens to Jayaraman, and are there any more secrets buried?

Soon, it is revealed that the money from Krishnamoorthy’s home was stolen by the apartment maid Devayani’s brother. Even though the truth is revealed, the police still try to close the case by pinning the murder charges on Jayaraman.

With no means of escape and Nandini’s life likely being in danger, Jayaraman attacks the policemen, using his martial arts skills.

Finally, Vasu, who has learned of Krishnamoorthy’s daughter, is trying to hunt her down with Jayaraman safeguarding her. As fate would have it, Vasu finds out their location, engaging in a rage-filled fight to end her life.

As the tension reaches its peak, it is revealed that Nandini is actually the biological child of Vasudevan. She was taken into foster care by Krishnamoorthy after her mother’s death.

The truth sends shockwaves around Nandini, but Vasu is unfazed and believes it to be a final attempt to attack him emotionally. With no chance of retribution, Jayaraman tells Nandini that what he told was a lie to fool Vasu.

After an edge-of-the-seat fight, Jayaraman finally ends Vasu’s life. In the final moments of the movie, Jayaraman and Nandini decide to begin their lives anew, becoming a loving father and daughter.

Cast and crew of Oppam

Oppam features Mohanlal in the lead role with actors like Samuthirakani, Nedumudi Venu, Meenakshi, Anusree, Vimala Raman, Mamukkoya, Renji Panicker, Chemban Vinod Jose, and many more in key roles.

The film, directed by Priyadarshan, has a screenplay penned by him based on a story by Govind Vijayan. There are also reports that the plot and theme took inspiration from the South Korean flick ‘Blind’ by Ahn Sang-hoon and Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear.

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