Drushyam 2 (2021) :
Movie Review -
That man is a Classic Criminal and he is scott free! We heard these words in February this year in a Malayalam Classic and now we have another version of the same in Telugu language. Jeethu Joseph, the master storyteller who helmed the original, is back with another brilliant piece of craft and this time he gets full support from Legend Venkatesh, just like he got in the original from Mollywood legend Mohanlal. Drushyam 2 takes the crime-thriller forward, not just by the narrative and storyline but also its intellectual level. Yes, we all want the hero to win at the end but there is a life-long punishment for him and that's what made Drishyam 2 different from other Malayalam suspense thrillers and that's what makes Drushyam 2 different from other thrillers in Telugu Cinema.
Drushyam is a pure sequel with continuous story which takes place 6 years after the events of Drushyam (2014). Rambabu's secrets are in danger but the man is prepared for everything. He has pledged to protect his family therefore no one can win against him. But does that win mean a lifetime defeat to him? That's where intellectual cinema evolves and the audience needs to understand it beyond mainstream thrilling factors. Like the original, this one is also slow at the beginning but only because it has lofted twists in the conclusive part. Maybe, they could have trimmed it and made those necessary changes from the original Malayalam flick and it surely would have helped it a lot.
Venkatesh as Rambabu is phenomenal. Every scene, every detail has been mastered by him and that can be noticed with those zoomed in angles the cinematographer has provided us. Meena, Kruthika, Easther Anil, Sampath Raj, Poorna, Nadhiya, Naresh and the entire supporting cast is superb. Not a single scene is different from the original yet the actors make it look different with their skillful performances. The screenplay is slow in the first only to change gears in the second half. Drushyam 2 is blessed with a great background score. It is important to have a chilling background music especially in a genre like Thriller and Drushyam 2 has been lucky to get such thrilling tunes running in the background whenever there was a mind-blowing twist on screen. Satheesh Kurup's cinematography is absolutely fantastic. This man has given us cinematic frames that can be posted in the film library for new students.
The master director Jeethu Joseph hasn't tried anything out of the world or different in Drushyam 2 because he had a brilliant script in hands. Moreover, the kind of overwhelming response Drishyam 2 received has encouraged him to stick to the basics. He remains faithful and honest to his original craft and that's why Drushyam 2 ends up being a Classic remake as well as a Classic sequel. Had he tried something different, it would have been risky because once you have surety of success with a certain product, you don't actually need to add anything extra. Drushyam 2 does not try to become anything different from the Malayalam version and that loyalty pays off well. Overall, Venkatesh and Jeethu Joseph's duo successfully manages to deliver another mind-boggling thriller to the audience in this emerging franchise. Hopefully we will get another wonderful thriller in the "Drushyam Universe" very soon.
RATING - 8/10*
