Tag: Drishyam 2

critic’s rating: 



3.5/5

Drishyam 2 starts where Drishyam (2015) left off. Here’s a recap of what happened in the first film. Vijay Salgaonkar’s (Ajay Devgn) elder daughter, Anju (Ishita Dutta) unintentionally murders the son of the Inspector General of Goa Police Meera Deshmukh (Tabu). The boy had taken a nude video of hers and had been blackmailing her because of it. Vijay hides away the body and weaves a narrative proclaiming that he and his entire family were out somewhere else during the day of the murder. After a lengthy investigation, Vijay is let off due to lack of evidence, even as the police are accused of using brutal means of getting a confession out of Vijay and his family. In the sequel, set six years down the line, the Salgaonkars have moved up in life. Though they’re still traumatised by their past. Anju supposedly suffers from epilepsy because of the guilt and pressure of what we have seen in the first film. Meera Deshmukh and her husband Mahesh (Rajat Kapoor) are desperately searching for closure and haven’t forgiven the Salgaonkar family for the loss of their son. The new IG of Goa police, Tarun Ahlawat (Akshaye Khanna) is Meera’s old friend and vows to nab Vijay at any cost. He’s as shrewd, and as dedicated as Vijay is and what ensues is a battle of wits between two strong-willed men.

The first film was a frame-to-frame copy of the Malayalam original starring Mohanlal and the second too is based on the sequel to the original Malayalam film which was released an year ago on OTT. This Hindi version has nothing new to offer to those who have seen the Malayalam version. For those who haven’t seen it, the film will provide several thrilling moments and a couple of shocking twists. The climax, especially, will surely shake you up and leave you asking for more.

If you want to enjoy the film, then everything which happens will have to be taken with a large pinch of salt. In terms of the plot, this film is more implausible than the first one. Vijay is shown to be more cunning and foresighted than ever before. He’s thought of all the various possibilities that can occur in the coming years and has a solution for each one of them. While it all looks good on screen, life, as we know, is too random for anyone to actually prepare for every contingency. Anything and everything can go wrong at any given moment but here, all of Vijay’s plans fructify successfully. It’s something which is hard to stomach for sure. The first showed that Vijay learned everything about life through movies and such is the case here as well. The film offers a couple of realistic touches in the sense that neighbours actually feel Vijay and his family are guilty and continuously taunt them for it. The elder daughter, as said earlier, suffers from epilepsy brought in by PTSD, the police are shown to be quite brutal and the mother’s character is more ruthless than from the first movie.

Everything hinges on the performances and the entire cast has chipped in with their best efforts. Tabu looks the very picture of grief and angst. She’s a wounded tigress, grieving at the loss of her cub and woe betide anyone who crosses her. In contrast, Rajat Kapoor’s stoic acceptance of what has happened and his dignified manner of handling it makes you root for him. Akshaye Khanna is the new player in the field and his quirks and punch dialogue make you smile. He can exude menace even when he’s smiling and is a welcome addition to the franchise. Shriya Saran too plays a concerned mother who is forever scared of being found out. Ishita Dutta has her moment in the sun as well. The film rests squarely on Ajay Devgn’s able shoulders. He plays the concerned father and husband with the gravitas it deserves. He never strays off character and his sincere performance stays with you from the first frame to the last. He infuses his character with so much conviction that you’re willing to forget the implausible happenings on screen. The film is set for a sequel, so be prepared to be surprised once more.

Trailer : Drishyam 2