if there is one trailer that genuinely has a pan-indian fan base a storyline so interesting that it has sparked many remakes across languages and even different countries it is the jitu Joseph directed film drishyam The Malayalam film is something that I immediately resonated with as the World created around George kutti and his ability as a fourth standard fail ordinary man to be two steps ahead of the police really created a perfect concoction of a thriller what’s interesting about the remakes that was sparked was that each actor in their respective languages showcase something new and interesting with their interpretation of the role Ajay devgan being one of them Nishant kamath really adapted the original Source material to Goa exceptionally well and the cast really did full Justice to the game of riddles thrown at the police’s way I think the sequel of drisham in Hindi benefits from the very fact that drishyam 2 was a straight digital release and that wasn’t dubbed in Hindi and disseminated among the masses on a free platform this has peaked the interest of the Hindi speaking audience that is not privy to how the story of Vijay and his family progresses drishyam 2 starts seven years after the events of the film The Case has gone cold turkey and Vijay and his family have kept the Secret Under Wraps of the whereabouts of Sam’s body as the new Inspector General tarun played by Akshay Khanna has a keen interest in Catching Vijay with the assistance of a grieving mother Mira Deshmukh played by taboo who still doesn’t have closure the salgaonkar family feels threatened and cornered as more questioning follows on the best kept secret of the town will Vijay a man who has established himself as a theater owner and is formulating his next dream film Project as a producer have the ability to wriggle out of his way from the constant questioning and threats even after seven years forms the basic storyline of drishyam 2.here’s me telling you the good and bad aspects of the film so that you guys can ultimately decide whether to watch drishyam 2 in theaters or not.
The underwhelming aspects slow setup and my love for the original film you have to realize the methodical treatment of the original story done by jitu Joseph that has been formulated with such in-depth detailing that every sequence points every interaction of our protagonist serves a purpose to his goal one who is not privy to the original Malayalam film would feel like the first half of the film really does spend a lot of time in revisiting and building on the world that we left seven years ago what I just want to tell those who go to the movie and feel a sense of impatience in the building blocks of the first half is that the payoff is truly worth it the payoff that will ultimately lead to claps and Hoots so patience is definitely a virtue in the way the screenplay develops in the film I won’t lie to you also that while I absolutely love the Hindi film cast and the wondrous edition of Akshay Khanna in the mix I do have a soft corner for the original cast especially George goody and his family they showcased a warmth and an organic Dynamic amongst each other that you instantly rooted for them to be left alone.
The movie also cemented in my mind on what kind of an intense performance can be churned out of Mohan Lal when he does work with talented directors and I hope more of the same in the future rather than the forgettable nauseating commercial Ventures we saw a lot this year the good exhilarating background score I assure you that one of the aspects that will stay with you in this faithful effective and sometimes better remake is the background score that has been contributed by DSP he is no way saturated in making his presence felt in every sequence you know sometimes the case when bgms almost dilute the dialogues to the point where they can’t be heard this is not the case in this film and it is carefully sprinkled in intense Face-Off moments where the stakes are high if you remember the music provided by Vishal bhardwaj in the 2015 Hindi film it really did account for several effective and emotional moments especially the song but where this movie does not divulge into songs through its screenplay other than a playful day out with the family it definitely more than compensates with its engaging background score.
Stellar cast one of the biggest trends of drishyam 2 is that it held on to the original cast of the film and while it is essentially a remake of a popular Malayalam film it is stayed true to its core and the continuation of the world where we left off the bar may be low but in an environment where installments have little to no connection to their previous films with consecutive changes to the cast this one really comes across as a property that is produced and designed with careful thought and action Ajay devgan provides the same restraint and understated tone to Vijay as he did so successfully in the first film a lot of the frames of ajaya close up shots of him there is almost an empty gaze in his eyes his mind constantly working out the possibilities in his head but his exterior showcasing a calm and almost stoic demeanor a case of an actor being at the top of his game as the family put forth commendable performances even though they have less to do versus the first installment Taboo in her brief appearance still has the ability to Showcase her mother grieving having got no closure as seven years have passed with her son’s disappearance her resentful attitude towards the salgankar family the simmering ragewithin her is all exceptionally portrayed by the actor for me how whoever the cast members that really take the movie into Full Throttle mode of putting you on the edge of your seat as guide only providing enough laughs and still having several callbacks to his relationship with this case that has frustrated him and the Beautiful edition of Akshay Khanna.
Akshay Khanna and a phenomenal second half if you remember the addition of murli Gopi as the presiding officer in drishyam 2 it added the much needed intensity to the case of reprimanding George cootie but what’s lovely about the Hindi remake and the addition of Akshay Khanna is that his character his demeanor body language is entirely different from what was modeled in the original there is a sarcastic tone Wicked smile and spunk talks role that really intensifies each sequence he features in whether it be him barging into the salkankar house for a friendly visit being Unapologetic in his attitude as he questions Vijay in the interrogation room there is such an abundant confidence to the man’s presence no wonder everyone misses him at the movies and wishes for more appearances in 2017 she had a streak of killing it as a cop in both ithifak and Mom and he does more of the same in this film it really is the second half where this film gets the ball rolling as I sat in a semi-packed theater it was clear to me that most people have not seen the original film in the Hindi speaking Bells as they ultimately clapped resoundingly at Vijay and his Twisted ways to find solutions to the case he is the main culprit of the Remake fatigue might be a reality that is slowly coming to a close but drishyam 2 while being a faithful remake really makes great additions to the film that account for a unique and engaging experience especially for those who haven’t seen the original film the cherry on top really is the casting coup of getting such talented performers together.