‘DRISHYAM 2’ REVIEW | 17 November, 2022

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Panorama Studios, Viacom18 Studios and T-Series Films’ Drishyam 2 (UA) is a sequel to Drishyam. The film starts seven years after the first one ended. The police reopen the murder case against the Salgaonkar family. The investigating police officer this time is Meera’s (Tabu) senior, Tarun Ahlawat (Akshaye Khanna). Meera is convinced that Vijay Salgaonkar and/or his family members have murdered her teenaged son but she has not been able to solve the murder mystery because of which Vijay, wife Nandini (Shriya Saran) and daughters Anju (Ishita Dutta) and Anu (Mrunal Jadhav) are roaming scot-free. Of course, they are constantly living in fear that their past may come to haunt them.

Police investigations and the witness of a drug peddler help Tarun Ahlawat dig out the skeleton of Meera and Mahesh’s (Rajat Kapoor) son. The police torture Vijay’s family so much that he is forced to confess to his crime. However, in the court, Vijay Salgaonkar tells the judge that his confession was taken under duress. Does Vijay manage to once again go scot-free or is he nabbed this time for the murder he committed seven years ago?

The film is a remake of Malayalam film Drushyam 2. The original story is written by Jeethu Joseph and it must be said, it is both, intelligent and engrossing. The twist in the story towards the end is masterly. The screenplay has been adapted by Aamil Keeyan Khan and Abhishek Pathak. The drama moves at a slow pace in the first half and in several parts of the second half. Therefore, it tends to become boring at several places. However, if even this major drawback does not come in the way of the enjoyment of the viewers, it is because Drishyam had caught the fancy of millions of viewers when it was released first. The feeling that when Drishyam was so intelligently and so well-written, the sequel will also be substantive keeps the audience’s interest alive despite the slow pace and the ordinary narration. The last part of the drama (around 20-25 minutes) is simply fantastic and will draw applause from the viewers. Aamil Keeyan Khan’s dialogues are very good at places.

Ajay Devgan lives the role of Vijay Salgaonkar. He has performed brilliantly, remaining in character in every single scene and shot. True to his character, it is difficult for the audience to fathom what is going on in his brilliant but troubled mind. His cool demeanour belies the tension that has been brewing inside of him all through the seven years. Tabu gets limited scope but she does full justice to her character. Her acting is very nice. Akshaye Khanna is very good as Tarun Ahlawat and gets into the skin of his character. Shriya Saran does a fair job. She could have performed better as Nandini. Ishita Dutta is natural in the role of Anju. Mrunal Jadhav is also realistic as Anu. Rajat Kapoor lends terrific support as Meera’s husband, Mahesh. Neha Joshi and Nishant Singh provide phenomenal support as married couple Jenny and Shiv. Saurabh Shukla leaves a fine mark in the pre-climax and climax, in the role of Murad Ali. Kamlesh Sawant is effective as police inspector Gaitonde but he doesn’t get as much scope as in the first part. Yogesh Soman has his moments as Vinayak Sawant. Siddharth Bodke shines as David. Anil Rasal is excellent in the role of Peter. Ajeeth Singh (as Raghu), Prathamesh Parab (as Jose), Samvedana (as lawyer Gayatri Mohan), Haresh Khatri (as the judge) and Shiva Naik (as the perpetually unsure neighbour) provide lovely support. Sharad Bhutadia (as Martin), Ashmita Jaggi (as Mary), Ramchandra Singh (as Savio), Vineeth M.V. (as Tony) and the rest are adequate.

Abhishek Pathak’s direction is average in the first half. Like the script, his narration also gathers steam in the post-interval portion. The last few reels are excellent. Devi Sri Prasad’s music and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics are alright, considering that there is almost no scope for music in this suspense thriller. Vijay A. Ganguly’s choreography is so-so. Devi Sri Prasad’s background music ought to have been more impactful. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary’s cinematography is of a fine order. Amin Khatib’s action scenes are okay. Production designing (by Sujeet Sawant, Sriram Iyengar and Tarpan Shrivastava) is appropriate. Sandeep Francis’ editing is reasonably sharp.

On the whole, Drishyam 2 is an enjoyable entertainer mainly because of the very unexpected twist in the last few reels. It will keep all associated with it, happy. It could end up doing hit business.

Released on 18-11-’22 at Inox (daily 13 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru PVR Pictures Ltd. Publicity: good. Opening: very good. …….Also released all over. Opening was impressive at most of the places.