Drishyam 2 – Can he get away this time?
| Language | Malayalam (India) |
| Runtime | 2h 32m |
| Genre | Drama/Crime/Thriller |
| Rating | 13+ |
Let me start by mentioning that I am not a fan of Sequels as most tend to be made to cash in on the success of its predecessor. So my expectations were low getting into the movie in spite of the stellar crew. A sequel to a hugely successful mystery thriller after seven years could go horribly wrong and may even tarnish the reputation of the original. Fortunately, Drishyam 2 delivers!
Drishyam 2 picks up 6 years after the events of the first part. Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is much wealthier now. Along with Cable TV business, he now owns a theatre and is exploring his passion on films. Family trauma is the core element here and the events from the past and the uncertainty affects George Kutty’s wife Rani (Meena) and his elder daughter Anju (Ansiba). The younger daughter Anu (Esther) is a defiant teenager. There are happy moments in the family, but the feeling of darkness looming over them is evident.
The first half of Drishyam 2 explores how the villager’s perception towards Georgekutty and his family has changed over the years mostly due to his improved lifestyle. Georgekutty is unflustered but his wife Rani is severely affected by the gossiping. Drishyam 2 much like its first part, takes its time to establish the characters, their family bonding, trauma and uncertainties. What could be perceived as mundane and unnecessary is intentionally played out to have an emotional connect with the family and make us feel empathetic towards them.
Be patient, the knock-out punch will come!
Jeethu Joseph (Writer and Director) explores a similar Hitchcockian pattern like the first film where you feel nothing much is happening. The movie then suddenly surprises you out of nowhere with unexpected thrills. There are new characters introduced along the way which may feel unnecessary at first, but makes sense in the end. We get the interval twist like the first movie which sets up for another interesting cat and mouse scenario. Once the crime thriller element evolves from the drama, the movie demands your unwavering attention.
The biggest challenge with Drishyam 2 was to create a crime thriller with the same crime explored in the first part. A common man orchestrates a perfect crime to save his family. The police know that he has done it, but cannot prove and it seems impossible to do so. How can they take it forward? Here, the writer Jeethu Joseph steps in with a carefully woven script amplified by the stellar cast reprising their roles with similar settings from the original. New characters also make good impression.
Jeethu Joseph’s writing and Mohanlal’s acting are the main USP’s of Drishyam 2
Jeethu Joseph has done a commendable job with Drishyam 2 quashing the feeling that sequels are just money grabbers. Meena, Ansiba and Esther did their roles very well and have good family chemistry. Asha Sharath, Siddique and Narayanan Nair reprising their roles from the original offered good support. Murali Gopi as the new Inspector General and Anjali as Georgekutty’s neighbour made good impression. Last but not least, the restrained and subtle acting from one of my favorite actors of all time ‘Mohanlal’ elevated the movie experience.
Drishyam 2 takes more cinematic liberties than the first part. But it’s also filled with many ‘wow’ and memorable moments.
Verdict
Drishyam 2 is a fine sequel which may not offer the same thrills as the original, but it’s still an engaging, entertaining and intriguing crime drama. Kudos to the entire crew!
Watch the original Drishyam (Malayalam) released in the year 2013 (If you haven’t already) to enjoy Drishyam 2, as the events are connected. And yes, Mohanlal does make a huge difference!
Must-Watch! 👍
Drishyam 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime
Image Source: IMDB , Public Domain
Video Credits: YouTube
Share with friends :
17 Comments
Praveen Nair
As usual lalettan at his best.
Prakash Thampi
Yes Praveen, got to see him in good form and good role after sometime!😊
Lekshmi
Enjoyed the movie as well your review.. keep going Prakash..
Prakash Thampi
Thank you sis😊
Jis Jerald
Not a big fan of sequels myself and hence I too watched the movie with least expectation… Even when I heard good reviews I was still not ready to accept tht it might be good.. I tght its just the review of ardent lal fans.. But i was pleasantly surprised when I actually saw the movie today… The script is definitely the hero and Jeethu Joseph nailed it… And ofcourse the stellar performance from the main characters just made it a treat to watch… I don’t think there cud have been a better sequel… Kudos to the whole team 👏🏻👏🏻😊
Prakash Thampi
Yeah, a writers movie elevated by good performances from the cast! 😊
Sita
Awesome review as usual…gud work da…I jst saw the movie…just loved it ..felt the same thrills nd chills this time too..Lalettan and Jithu Joseph really delivered…
Prakash Thampi
Thanks dear😊 Yes, good writing and good performances! Nice seeing lalettan back to form!
Parvathyh H A
My exact thought. I was getting bored initially for the first 30-40 mts or so. But one second the whole perspective changed.
Your review was apt and to the point without being a spoiler alert.
Great going.
Prakash Thampi
Thanks chechi😊 Yes, similar structure like first part…soap opera to thrills!
Ramesh Nair
Each and every character delivered a great performance and a well knit storyline!
Good review Bro!
Prakash Thampi
Thanks bro😊 proved that sequels can be good!
M.Ratish Nair
The Surprise element before intermission was like, what the hell ! I liked the dialogue by IG – That man is a classic criminal ! Rest of it you have written beautifully. Mohanlal – The Complete actor and Jeethu Josepth – The complete writer……
Prakash Thampi
Thanks bro😊 yes, good writing and acting 👍
Pingback:
Joyson
Even I am not a big fan of sequels and only one I can remember of being an extraordinary sequel is the dark knight from the batman trilogy. Drishyam 2 truly came as a pleasant surprise and was a really good movie experience, credit should be given to Jeethu Jose to make it happen. Lal ettan as usual just knocks you of your seat with his stellar performance 👌
Prakash Thampi
Yeah, a good surprise…loved it!