RAPID REVIEW: A decent but superfluous sequel, which undermines the beautiful memories of its parent film: Drishyam
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
SYNOPSIS
Coinciding with Drishyam’s climax, the sequel starts off with a frantically running unidentified man, who accidentally glimpses ‘someone’ inside an under-construction building. This loophole revealed at the outset becomes the foundation for Drishyam-2’s premise.
Six years later: George Kutty runs his own movie theatre and wants to produce his own film. George is criticized by his wife Rani for his indulgence into occasional alcoholism and discourages his movie business aspirations. Amongst all this, rumors about George being the ex-IG son’s murderer start to spread, which unsettles the already fearful family. Soon after, the unidentified man from the opening scene shows up again.
Then, precisely half-way into the movie, a partial revelation is made in a scene involving the incumbent IG of Police and his ‘shadow police’ and a turning point in George Kutty’s case is revealed. Consequently, the police investigation is fast-tracked and eventually they are allowed to interrogate the family again, regarding the alleged murder.
What will George Kutty do to save his family this time? Will he himself take the blame? Or will the real culprit - his daughter confess? Will this be George’s checkmate? I can’t commit the crime of revealing this beforehand.
PERFORMANCES REVIEW
Mohanlal reprises his role as George Kutty - a devoted family man with an imaginative genius-level intellect. And like Drishyam-1, he does it with such an inimitable grounded charm, which proves yet again why he is considered as one of the greatest Indian actors. It’s sheer pleasure to watch him perform.
Meena, as George Kutty’s wife, effectively replicates her performance in Drishyam. So do the now grown-up daughters, Esther Anil and Ansiba, as Anu and Anju respectively. Supporting character Anjali Nair convincingly underplays her character’s divergence.
Asha Sharath and Siddique aptly reprise their respective roles as vengeful parents. A new addition to the cast Murali Gopy as the new IG of Police is credible in this role.
FILM REVIEW
Already reeling under tremendous pressure from inevitable comparisons with the breathtaking Drishyam-1, this sequel comprises an overly bland first-half and an interesting but meandering second-half.
After about 20 minutes, the movie starts getting rather monotonous. Even some dialogues are repeated. The family chemistry and their inside jokes get a bit boring after a point, not taking the story forward. The film’s sub-plots containing the build-up could have been made at least marginally engaging. Unlike Drishyam-1’s first-half, where the initial build-up reels were intentionally sluggish yet essential and engaging to comprehend the twists of the ensuing narrative, this sequel has an outright lackluster first-half.
It’s almost half-way through when the scene cuts to the incumbent IG of Police, who summarizes the case details to his core investigating team. A turning point in the case is introduced, which infuses a much-needed stimulation to the Police investigation and also to the viewers. This is one of the best-executed scenes of the movie when the goings-on start to get interesting.
However, the movie shifts gears after about an hour. And one hour is a long time in a two and a half hours movie. Being a mystery-thriller, it’s a big risk, a risk that had previously given a beautiful outcome in 2013. But once the pace picks up, the movie more or less maintains the high-octane tension until the end. The factual police procedural details incorporated in the narrative are indeed impressive. The last 45 minutes of the movie are the most exciting, with edge-of-the-seat developments and a riveting finale.
Having said that, the movie fails to explain the sudden interest in a six-year-old case. And why a six-year gap to re-investigate the case? It may primarily be because George’s daughters (played by Esther Anil and Ansiba) are actually seven years older now. But the reasoning seems to be unjustified.
Another complaint which I also had with Drishyam-1 was the implausibility of a cable TV operator cooking up such an intricate defense against competent cops. Instead, he could have been a low-level clerk in the court or an inside man within the police department. Just a thought. Seems less illogical.
Moreover, in Drishyam-1, George’s plan was beautifully imperfect thus credible, thereby making the protagonist vulnerable. On the contrary, Drishyam-2 has a near-flawless plan which makes us believe that our (super)hero can never get caught, which diminishes the feeling of mystery and suspense surrounding it.
The film features just one song composed by Anil Johnson. But even this one song seems unwanted and wrongly placed, as it’s unrelated to the film’s core plot. It should have been discarded as it further hampers the film’s slow-paced first-half. Editing should have been crisper as the length of the film should ideally only have been around 2 hours. Cinematography is up to the mark.
PROS
Mohanlal’s performance
Mid-way and climactic revelations
CONS
Slow-paced and weak first half
Much inferior to Drishyam-1
MY VERDICT: 6/10
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