- Movie Name:Drishyam 2
- Critics Rating: 4 / 5
- Release Date: Nov 18, 2022
- Director: Abhishek Pathak
- Genre: Crime thriller
Drishyam 2 Movie Review: Right in the opening moments, Drishyam 2 sets the tone for an arrestingly bendy and climatic noir thriller. As Ajay Devgn returns as Pandolem's Vijay Salgaonkar he cautions the audience of what's to come saying, it's not about what is in front of us but what we look at. Through Nishikant Kamat's directorial, Drishyam, we are familiar with the events of October 2014 and what followed. And now with Abhishek Pathak's film, we see how the Salgaonkar family is doing after seven years.
On the face of it, things are routine. The family of four is having a quiet time but of course, there's some anxiety and paranoia every time they encounter Goa Police. But, it seems, the worse is over. Well, maybe not!
We fast learn that Vijay owns a cinema hall now, he has ambitions of making a film and he has some loud neighbours. But despite the incriminating crime and constant murmurs about the Salgaonkars, they're leading an as normal life as possible. The Deshmukhs, on the other hand, are unrest. While Mahesh (Rajat Kapoor) has come to terms with the loss of his son, Meera (Tabu) hasn't.
The case is reopened by the new entrant Akshaye Khanna, who plays the role of IG Tarun Ahlawat — the one who propels the wary narrative. Jeethu Joseph, the writer-director of the original Malayam film has devised Drishyam 2 as a film that remains uncompromisingly absorbing for all of its 140-minute length primarily because it seats its audience in the helpless queue of a slow-motion traffic jam on a hill. You're impatient, but you're relishing the view and desperately want to see what lies at the end of the road.
To set the thriller in motion is the impeccable background score and music by Devi Sri Prasad. It is so seamlessly predisposed that without it you won't be certain about the situation. The director has smartly placed dim shots with cool undertones to give the film an eerie effect. He skillfully balances comic puns and takes subtle jibes at the police, Vijay's manipulation and makes a passing comment on how the film industry is being tarnished and targeted lately.
Drishyam 2 is cleverly structured in a way that, right from the start, we’re prompted to know that there's some scheme that Vijay has in place, even before we know for certain how culpable he is for -- Saving his family? Dogging the police? Hiding and manipulating crime evidence? We discover the reality only gradually, as the filmmaker discloses and rationalises Vijay and other characters' motives in the way somebody slowly, almost tauntingly, talks about food when you're starved to death.
On the screen, it is Ajay and Akshaye are the ones who built Drishyam 2. While initially, it appears to be an action-reaction chain, ultimately you know these are the repercussions that were meticulously articulated by Vijay even before the IG thought of it.
Yet again, Ajay Devgn plays Vijay with incredible persuasive and precise skills. Akshaye too sweeps you off as the brooding investigating officer. He looks intimidating, intelligent and a man with thoughts. Together, they build the tension so precisely that you'd be sitting on the edge even before you know it.
We are periodically offered jigsaw-piece disclosures about Vijay and Meera's schemes and whatever they're doing now or have done in the first film is an impetus. This info comes mostly through their communications with vividly capable supporting characters of Saurabh Shukla, Neha Joshi, Kamlesh Sawant, Yogesh Soman and Sharad Butadiya. The interactions juxtapose with what deems like the assurance of an unforgiving destiny. In Drishyam 2 too, we are persuaded to be sympathetic toward Salgaonkars, particularly when we see traumatised Nandini (Shriya Saran), Anju (Ishita Dutta) and Anu (Mrunal Jadhav).
That being said, the film falters for brief moments, when it conveniently mocks privacy and twist laws at the hands for the sake of the plot. But eventually, everything leads to a dead-solid-perfect conclusion that proposes an ideal climax for these films about convoluted characters driven to extremes. Once you’re seated as an eyewitness of their schemes, you'll be clapping and hooting for the well-executed end that you probably couldn't have guessed. Drishyam 2 serves as one of the best climaxes for a crime thriller in recent times. If you enjoyed watching Drishyam, you'll appreciate its sequel even more.
You can watch the Drishyam 2 trailer here:
