Film director Jeetu Joseph might deny this to be a thriller. Then what else this could be. If Drishyam, the prequel was epochal, Drishyam 2 is would definitely be colossal. And, only when we watch Drishyam 2 we realise there remained a lot that were yet to be answered when the credits rolled up by the end of its previous version and that the brilliant story teller that Jeetu Joseph is, explored its prospects to the hilt in the second frachise.
Georgekutty is rich and refined now. He owns a theatre and is pursuing the dream of making a film with a story idea he has on mind. Though things were going smooth, he had to force his loved ones out the perpetual fear for what they had undergone years ago. And then comes the expected, and they are thrown into the middle of the quagmire again.
When the police are picking up the threads of an unsolved murder mystery six years later, the environment in the previous story is kept intact. Frequent allusion to the events like George Kutty's alibi with the date mix-up for the prayer meet and the vehicle he was riding during the eventful night, and so on refreshes the subject.
When the narrative is navigated by none other than Mohanlal, the name that weaves magic on screen, at the helm; it becomes a visual experience worth waiting for. An offshoot of the turmoil in the previous version, Drishyam 2 is pitted in the same milieu and backdrop. Yet, the story is astoundingly different and distinct.
As Rani, Meena has been able to pull off the character immaculately from where she had left it in the previous Drishyam. Siddique's character of Prabhakar was a meek presence. Asha Sharath's role of Geetha Prabhakar was similar too, but there were a couple of instances, which she could grab to make an impact.
While Ansiba too does grow a bit as Anju from the previous stage, it was Esther Anil who dished out the surprise pack by the showcasing a much more matured and outstanding performance as Anu. Murali Gopi's character of IG Thomas is a steadfast, sharp-witted police officer who throws much of the needed heft to the suspense saga towards the denouement. Though short, it was charming to see Ganesh Kumar on screen after a long time.
Powly Wilson, Anjali Nair, Boban Samuel, Krishna Prabha, Aith Koothattukulam, Dinesh among others in the ensemble cast contributed immensely.
Towards the later stages of the second half, it becomes sort of a story inside a story inside a story. The tale is narrated in a softer tone but at the same time maintains the intensity. All along, it never fails to convince as the saga of a family man who by virtue of his intelligence and resoluteness just keeps outsmarting the police and investigation system every time it revives its mission to nail down Goeorgekutty, the protagonist.
Jeetu Joseph has been able to successfully plant the surprise elements at the right turns of the roller coaster ride, though it becomes a tad too long to hold your complete attention towards the end.
Besides, the presence of the too many realistic movies around in present times could make one crave for less drama and finesse of scenes.
We see a lot of vintage Mohanlal here and his mesmerising performance is unmistakably gratifying.
The movie also has more characters and situations than the previous version. But the previous Drishyam is undeniably the tauter one.