138. Drishyam 2; movie review

 

 

DRISHYAM 2

Cert 12

154 mins

BBFC advice: Contains domestic abuse, moderate threat, brief gory images

Blimey - I had no idea that this was a follow-up to my favourite ever Indian film.

That's because Mrs W and I saw Papanasam, the Tamil version of Drishyam back in 2013 but I had not recalled the original Malayalam name.

Now I am delighted to report, I have seen the sequel and it is the most impressed I have been by Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

That may be because it requires only a hard straight performance and he can act his age rather than someone 30 years younger.

There are no out-of-place song and dance routines nor does he beat up ten people simultaneously.

In my opinion, he fits his character, Georgekutty, hand in glove.

The movie is set six years on from the original which had seen Georgekutty's daughter inadvertently kill a youth who was sexually harassing her.

At the time, her dad covered for her by dealing with the body - finally burying it under a new police station which was built over it.

Georgekutty's family was under intense suspicion but the police could prove nothing and the public perceived that they were being persecuted because they were poor.

However, in this Jeethu Joseph sequel, he has prospered and is less popular among the townsfolk - therefore, there is a thirst to see the case re-opened.

The pressure bounces off Georgekutty but his wife (Meena) is becoming more and more anxious, their daughter  (Ansiba Hassan) is prone to seizures prompted by nervousness while her sister (Esther Anil) is trying to be a normal teenager.

Drishyam 2 begins slowly and is not much more than a gentle family drama for the first hour but it takes a very firm grip thereafter.

This is when cracks start to appear in Georgekutty's family's previously rock-solid silence and a new police inspector (Murali Gopy) appears in town.

From then on, I was on edge, changing my mind almost every minute over whether Georgekutty would be caught.

I shall reveal no more because I heartily recommend that you watch this and I don't want to ruin any of the many surprises.

Suffice to say, Dishyam 2 is my favourite Malayalam film to date and one of the best sequels I have seen.

Reasons to watch: Sequel to a classic

Reasons to avoid: Takes too long to get into its stride

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Jeethu Joseph and Mohanlal were filming for Ram prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in India but the shooting was stalled as some sequences were scheduled for foreign locations, such as London and Cairo. As the crew realised that the filming would take time to continue, Jeethu decided to start the works for Drishyam 2 which was filmed in India, adhering to COVID protocols.

The final word. Jeethu Joseph: "I was convinced that the story had ended, and that there could be no part 2. But everyone including Mohanlal asked me to consider a sequel. I was also getting calls from random studios saying that people were bringing scripts to them for Drishyam 2, which I had no idea about. This is when producer Antony Perumbavoor (who bankrolled both films) asked me to try and work on a sequel." The News Minute

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