Blood is thicker than water. Review on Drishyam 2

DRISHYAM 2: Blood is thicker than water

Drishyam part 1, with its simplicity of narration, cinematic brilliance and water tight script took the entire nation by storm in 2013, and attracted producers from various parts of the country to remake it into respective regional languages, including mainstream Hindi cinema. Retaining the original writer Jeethu Joseph, as an integral part of all the versions ensured each of them doing decent business.

The announcement of the sequel last year created lot of buzz, excitement & debate among hardcore cinema fans. One major concern was that typically not too many popular sequels in the past having done justice to the first part. However Jeethu continuing to anchor the ship and the charismatic presence of the leading cast did pump in enough confidence.

Drishyam 2 the resumption begins where the first part ends. Six year post Varun’s case, Georgekutty(Mohanlal) his wife Rani(Meena) and daughters, Anju(Ansiba) & Anumol(Esther Anil) manage upgrading their lifestyle, and a little bit of future savings.

Georgekutty, equally aware of the psychological impacts of the unfortunate incident, strongly ensures certain things are handled subtly and sensitively and nothing gets escalated to toxic levels. At the same time, the local police having faced national embarrassment earlier and desperate to have their scores settled, are also on their guard. George’s combat with own his internal conflict vis-à-vis the pressure from outside forces is what follows hereon.

Screenplay wise, the narrative once again flows very smoothly, and every conversation & character seem like an essential part. Duration-wise the first half does appear a trifle long but also seems deliberately done to bring down viewer’s expectations. The second half is tighter and the climax as usual takes the story to the next level. Somewhere Jeethu seems to have mastered the art of switching between pace and underplay. Still, the editing could have been a bit tighter. Few cinematic liberties may be difficult to digest.

Cinematography and background music both assist equally in keeping the viewer engaged throughout. The multiple layered dialogues carry lessons of life in them with English subtitles also justifying the same.

Performance wise, Mohanlal is his usual self. It is a pleasure to watch the veteran perform effortlessly, manipulate his expressions and body language at the snap of a finger without overdoing at all. Meena, Ansiba and Esther Anil with more screen space & multiple shades this time are exceptionally well. Asha Sarath and Siddiqui reprise their roles well. Murali Gopy has a strong screen presence. Saikumar, K B Ganesh Kumar, Ajith K, Anjali Nair, Sumesh Chandran, provide adequate support.

Today, we live in a self centered & egoistic world wherein the pressure to choose ideologies among patriarchy, feminism, democracy, religion, having one’s own space, etc. feature among trending topics of utmost importance. Drishyam2 beautifully showcases as to how a smart blend all of the above needs to peacefully co-exist in bits and pieces among family members, not feeling the need to offend or run down one another and mutual respect & love preceding everything else. United we stand, divided we fall, especially when unprecedented external threats crop up.

Overall, Drishyam 2 is a sleek thriller almost on par with its predecessor. Definitely, it’s worth more than a watch for its thrilling storyline, natural performances and the positive take-aways.