Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Meena, Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy & K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Rating: ***1/2
Platform: Amazon Prime
Malayalam cinema has always been nourished with brilliant story-telling and blessed with great directors and actors. Glaring Malayalam films like Forensic, Uyare, Jallikattu, and Ayyappanum Koshiyum have proved that the industry is capable of presenting some fresh storyline that inspires Bollywood and other regional cinema. Similarly, the 2013 released film Drishyam which stars Mohan Lal in the lead role had received widespread positive reviews with critics praising the screenplay, the performances, and direction. The film was also remade in Bollywood with the same name and earned numerous applaud for Ajay Devgn. Moving ahead, a few years back, Jeethu Joseph decided to come up with its second installment although it couldn't make its way to the cinema halls and rather decided to go with the digital premier.
Drishyam 2: The Resumption was one of the anticipated films of 2021 and recently Amazon Prime released the film on its streaming service. Just like the first part, the sequel also takes off as a typical family drama. The first half of the film is intentionally slow-paced and shows to the audience the traumatizing and frightening moments in the family of Georgekutty (MohanLal) which are the result of what happened six years ago.
Well, Drishyam 2's story takes place six years after the events of Drishyam. In these six years, things changed a lot, Gerogekutty is now a theatre owner and fulfilling his cinema dream. Whereas, Rani (Meena), wife of Georgekutty, has a fear that one-day things will be disclosed and her whole family will be behind the bars. On the other side, Anju (Ansiba Hassan) Georgekutty's elder daughter is still in trauma and is now a patient of Epilepsy. Talking about Georgekutty's young daughter Anumol (Esther Anil) then she is more carefree and lives her life in her way but her mother always keeps on resisting her which annoyed her most of the time.
As it is always said that sometimes the hardest thing about committing the perfect crime can be keeping your genius to yourself. Just like in Drishyam where Gerogekutty keeps his secrets to himself only has also leads the legacy further with its sequel. But this time, the family is still living in the same place which is affected by events connected to the Varun murder case and is a talk among the villagers. The entire village believes that Gerogekutty's family has a deep connection with Varun's death.
Rani is worried and she is always open about her fears with her new neighbor Saritha who is a victim of domestic violence but still lives with her abusive husband. On the other side, Anumol is befriended by her classmate who is also her boyfriend, and wants to shoot a short story inspired by Varun's case. But later it is disclosed that Anumol's boyfriend works for the police and Saritha and her husband are actual police officers assigned by the police department.
Moving ahead, things start turning opposite to what Georgekutty was expecting as there was an eyewitness who saw Georgekutty six years ago coming out of the police station worksite after graving Varun's body. Now, he has been released from jail and gives his statement to the police. After his statement, Police find a skeleton from the police station and defames Gerogekutty's family once again. Will Gerogekutty be able to save his family from IPS Geetha Prabhakar's anger and how will the sequel do justice with its first part? Well, for that you need to watch Drishyam 2: The Resumption on Amazon Prime!
Talking about the film's direction then Jeethu Joseph has done a brilliant job while showcasing Georgekutty's player mind. Just like its previous installment this time also, this time also Jeethu has written and directed the first half with a slow-pace and focuses more on building the storyline with some new fresh characters. Unlike its first half, the second half is more like a thriller rollercoaster ride.
More about the performance part, Mohan Lal has once again won the heart of his fans, his intense eyes have made him perfectly suited for the role. His teary eyes just added more glance to his character. On the other side, supporting cast Ansiba Hassan, Meena, Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy and K. B. Ganesh Kumar has done excellent work with their performances.
All-embracing, there is no perfect crime but after watching Drishyam 2, we can say that there is always a perfect criminal. Just like the first part, even in the sequel, Mohan Lal's character doesn't lose his confidence and fights back to save his family. Well, the sequel takes craft, intelligence, and the superior acumen of a genuine storyteller to pull off a film in such an engaging manner. Although, the entire story gets more engaging when it jumps to its second half which is more focused on Georgekutty and his mind games. So if you haven't watched Mohan Lal's Drishyam or have watched Ajay Devgn's film then Drishyam 2 is a must-watch only if you want to know what happened after the event of Drishyam. Don't expect a straight gripping start from the film as it holds its secrets firmly and just like a game of cards, Drishyam's focal point is Georgekutty's mind and his concern for the family. So watch it if you are a fan of twisting story-tale and surely this 2 hours 30 minutes film wouldn't disappoint you!
