DRISHYAM 2
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| Critic - No. 196 |
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Produced by: Aashirvad Cinemas
Casts: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Aasha Sarath, Siddique
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Drama, Romance
Music: Anil Johnson
SYNOPSIS:
Drishyam 2 kicks off from where the sequel left off - ‘The perfect crime', has a key eyewitness now and it gives a redirection to the Varun Prabhakar missing-case investigation that has left the cops red-faced 6 years ago.
REVIEW:
It is always a gamble when you attempt to recreate an intricate murder mystery, especially when you working with the same case. In the paper, one would have thought that it is almost impossible to bring in the same engagement level as the top-notch predecessor. However, Jeethu Joseph has trashed all these pre talks with another engaging tale of Georgekutty.
Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is now a theatre owner and being a film fanatic, he dreams of making a film based on a story he has written. His daughters Anju and Anumol (Ansiba and Esther) and still traumatised but adjusting with daily lives while his wife, Rani still keeps one eye behind the family’s backs, as the fear of the police catching up always beckons. Georgekutty strikes back to protect his family when the case reopens with a crucial eye witness. Yes, the film does take its time to move to the inciting incident but Jeethu throws in a few teasers here and there in the initial minutes. Some work and some just buy time. But once the plot kicks off, the film is air-tight!
Using the same ‘intelligence’ aspect of the protagonist, Jeethu builds the mystery carefully without giving away the final twist. The layering of the suspense is where his strength lies and again proves it in this. Adding on to the writing, it's Mohanlal's portrayal of the calculative Georgekutty who maintains his subtle performance and poker face that keeps you guessing and engaged. The superstar excels as Georgekutty once again without missing a beat from the first installment. He looks even fitter and confident this time. Meena, Ansiba, and Esther have recreated the magic again with their earnest performances.
V.S.Vinyak’s editing is sharp and majorly aids the flow of the narration. For me, I just felt it could have been 10 minutes shorter. However, Anil Johnson’s score sounds too dramatic and larger than life at times. I felt that the already strong scenes do not need unnecessary music punches which disturbs the narrative impact of it.
Jeethu keeps the plot simple but the screenplay complex by shifting the viewers' focus with a few elements and gives a mindblowing climatic act. I really wish the other versions (Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Tamil) are on par with this and hope Jeethu helms them all. He is definitely a mystery master in the Indian cinema, of our times!
VERDICT:
Jeethu Joseph delivers another masterstroke with Drishyam 2 that is filled with masterful suspense, air-tight screenplay, and endearing performances.
CELLULOID METER- 4/5:
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