“Cinema. It’s an important link. What is peculiar about movies? Visuals. The impact of visuals on the mind is unmatched,” echoed Geetha Prabhakar (Asha Sarath) in a scene that thrilled us to bits in the 2013 Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam. We never predicted a cinema link to pop up, even though it was known that the protagonist, Georgekutty (Mohanlal), ran a local cable service. In Jeethu Joseph’s hugely hyped sequel Drishyam 2, we witness the family man weave his life story onto a canvas that is a puzzling blend of fact and fiction.
Six years after the traumatic incident that shook his home, Georgekutty and his family lead an isolated life. Rani (Meena) remains as naïve as before, though deep down, she seeks closure about what happened to the deceased boy’s body. Worse off is Anju (Ansiba Hassan), who is reeling under the psychological impact of the event. Once a bubbly girl, Anju now retreats into her parents’ protective cocoon. In sharp contrast, Anu (Esther Anil) is well-adjusted to the times – which is believable since she was never as involved as the others. As for Georgekutty, he has become a local theatre owner and is on the verge of producing a film. While his daughter hopes he casts Dulquer Salmaan in their home production, Georgekutty knows that the core of great cinema lies in foolproof writing. Much to Rani’s dismay, the aspiring producer has already spent a good chunk of their savings on fine-tuning the script with screenwriter Vinayachandran (Saikumar).
Speaking of screenwriting, let’s also acknowledge how the screenplay of Drishyam boasted a certain universality. Mohanlal’s measured performance was a bonus, but the writing, in all honesty, would have worked even with lesser actors – something we saw in its inferior remakes. Drishyam 2 enjoys a similar status as Jeethu Joseph cooks up a plot that tries to be as clever as its predecessor. Bogged down by the burden to thrill us to the same degree, the plot thickens with new characters and fresh twists – although not quite on par with the original.
The subplot involving an ex-convict named Jose (Ajith Koothattukulam) becomes a major turning point. However, his story is stretched so unnecessarily that it threatens to derail our interest in Georgekutty and his family. It’s at this point that we remember how Inspector Sahadevan (Kalabhavan Shajon) was a masterstroke in Drishyam – he detested Georgekutty, with no explanation needed. Rani and George’s interactions with their neighbouring family again come across as a laborious exercise. But Drishyam 2 picks up pace once super-cop Thomas Bastian takes charge of reinvestigating the mysterious case.
Jeethu Joseph’s writing teases us throughout the first half. Joseph knows exactly where to hit the brakes. Take the scene in Sulaiman Ikka’s (Kozhikode Narayanan Nair) restaurant. Newly released from prison, Jose is just starting to familiarize himself with Georgekutty’s story. Suddenly, the scene jumps to a freak accident, and Jose (along with the viewers) is left to simmer in a cloud of curiosity. In another instance, Rani suspects that Anu might be revealing details about the fateful day, leaving us to wonder if the plot will go in that direction. While the first half is filled with such subtle trickery, the screenplay takes a daring route in the final act. If the prequel rarely defied logic in its writing, Drishyam 2 sprinkles cinematic liberties in decent proportions. Luck plays a significant role in Georgekutty executing his master plan. The final act does manage to thrill us, but its lack of simplicity contrasts sharply with Drishyam’s stunning plot twists, which felt more grounded and layman-friendly.
Drishyam 2 gives Jeethu Joseph the benefits of being a sequel. He invests less time in building the premise. Throughout its runtime, we know Georgekutty will emerge as a saviour, and the man himself is out of action for long stretches, allowing new characters to take shape. This is exactly where the indulgent portions play spoilsport. The editor seems enamoured by this intimate universe in Kerala’s hillside village, Rajakkad, allowing the narrative to meander unnecessarily. This might have worked wonders if Drishyam 2 were a finite series, but not in a tightly wound 2.5-hour caper.
Whether it’s a fanciable change or not, Jeethu Joseph turns the final act of his film into a grand spectacle. Narrated in a complex, non-linear pattern, the chapter is categorically larger-than-life. Drishyam 2 paints Georgekutty as an astute criminal, as opposed to an empathetic commoner who pulled out all stops to safeguard his family. I wouldn’t disagree that it works in favour of the character, but suddenly, we see his horizons expand. This time around, Georgekutty is far less heart and all about calculations, or rather, permutations and combinations. That way, Drishyam and Drishyam 2 belong to different emotional cosmoses, yet remain independently legitimate thrillers.
Jeethu Joseph’s character arcs are satisfying, especially for the main leads who do not lose their innate tendencies. He brings former IG Geetha Prabhakar and her husband (Siddique) back into the picture. The familiarity, aside from the smartly (and subtly) integrated investigation procedures, builds curiosity around Georgekutty’s possible counter-efforts. On the acting front, the main leads and recurring characters leave a solid impact, whereas the new players in peripheral parts do more damage than good. Not exactly a film to display his acting chops, Mohanlal is nonetheless highly effective, as expected. Meena beautifully embraces the depth and newer layers in Rani while strengthening her time-tested chemistry with Mohanlal. If Ansiba has grown significantly as an actor, Esther Anil is akin to a whiff of fresh air in a tense plot. Together, the foursome remains the close-knit screen family that we want to strongly shield from the outside world.
Asha Sarath and Siddique deliver compelling performances in their brief appearances, while Kozhikode Narayanan Nair brings forth a warm air of familiarity. The masterstroke, however, is casting Murali Gopy as Thomas Bastian IPS, who springs a pleasant surprise with a subtle yet uninhibited performance. Bastian is a man on a mission, unlike Sahadevan in the prequel, who had a personal vendetta to address. Drishyam 2 seldom makes us loathe the man for his forthrightness. At times, I even felt bad for his years of hard work being quashed like ninepins. Saikumar, who appears as a screenwriter, is a key link in untangling the mystery, and the actor does a remarkable job at that.
Anjali Nair and Sumesh Chandran don’t add much in pivotal yet utterly clichéd parts, whereas Ajith Koothattukulam is rather drab as Jose. K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Joy Mathew, Krishna Prabha, and Powli Wilson stand royally wasted.
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As a filmmaker, Jeethu Joseph’s abilities were eclipsed by his stellar writing in Drishyam. The director’s inability to rise above the material on paper is even more pronounced in Drishyam 2, where the screenplay, with its manufactured textures, isn’t as supportive as in the first edition. If the final two acts fare relatively better, the build-up portions falter on several fronts, starting with the basic mise-en-scène. The production design is notably lazy, and both the original score and the lone song are sedate and uninspiring. Snippets from Drishyam’s score did strike a pleasant chord during the lighter moments, but Anil Johnson’s overall work here is far below par, especially considering the hysteria that the writing evokes. Satheesh Kurup’s cinematography is adequate, as he builds the atmosphere using a staid, gloomy colour palette and realistic lighting. The dialogues remain in the same vein as the prequel, but this time, they are delivered by a string of below-par actors.
To nobody’s surprise, what works in favour of Drishyam 2 and makes it a worthy sequel is the component of suspense. When Georgekutty takes charge of the situation, we are indirectly signaled to fasten our seatbelts. And boy, do they deliver. The last 30 minutes are bound to keep you on tenterhooks for the way they blend slices of the family’s life with a fictional template. I wasn’t entirely convinced about Jeethu Joseph turning Georgekutty into a larger-than-life figure – both cherub and sinner. He should have remained a clever family man rather than a know-all supervillain. I would prefer to see him casually hit back at Rani when she quotes her favourite proverb (“Naadodumbol naduve odanam,” which translates to “when the world is running, run through the middle of it”) with his life formula – “Odunna pattikku oru muzham munpe” (“throw a stone a yard ahead of a running dog to hit it”). Maybe next time.
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Drishyam 2 is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
