Drishyam 2: A thrilling, befitting sequel

Director: Jeethu Joseph
Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Murali Gopy, Asha Sharath and Siddique

Sequels are usually made to cash in on the success of their previous parts, however, Jeethu Joseph's Drishyam 2: The Resumption is an exception. The film, which skipped its theatrical release to directly release on Amazon Prime, is a thoroughly gripping and entertaining sequel, a rare occurrence in Indian cinema.

Powered by top class writing and plenty of unexpected twists, the sequel packs a solid punch and makes for a riveting watch right till the end. Drishyam 2 is a masterclass in suspense building and it works as effectively as the first part if not better.

Drishyam 2 takes off six years after the events of the first part. A lot has changed in the life of Georgekutty (Mohanlal) and his family. From a cable TV operator, Georgekutty has now grown to become a theatre owner and he's also a film producer in the making. He's been working on a script with a writer for a few years now but he's in no hurry to make the film because he wants it to be an extraordinary experience for audiences.

He's still a family man at heart, and we get some lovely scenes with his wife and daughter. But as the film progresses, we learn that the police are secretly still investigating the mysterious disappearance of Varun Prabhakar – the character from the first part whose murder was pinned on Georgekutty. When a major breakthrough happens in the case, Georgekutty and his family are once again suspects in the case and the investigation gets reopened. Is Georgekutty guilty or not and how will he protect his family this time forms the crux of the story?

The world of Drishyam 2 is beautifully built, and a lot of credit has to go to writer-director Jeethu Joseph for giving us a genuine sequel with well established characters. In the first part, everybody around Georgekutty had a lot of sympathy for his family as they were wrongly framed for a murder the police couldn't prove. Six years later, the same people have grown jealous of Georgekutty's rise on his career front, and some even start to think that he's no ordinary man but a mastermind criminal. A good chunk of the first half is spent on Georgekutty and his family along with some new characters – it's only in the last 45 minutes that Drishyam 2 starts to plunge into the thriller end of it. The film gets unbelievably complex but at the same time, gripping towards the end.

It's no exaggeration to call Drishyam 2 one of the best sequels ever. Georgekutty, even though played by one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema, is no hero but someone who's well aware that he has to pay for his actions, and he's well prepared. Georgekutty, as a character says, has been waiting for six years to just test his luck with a plan he's been patiently crafting, and one that takes us all by surprise.

Mohanlal brings a restrained performance to Georgekutty's character. For someone who successfully fools everybody around him including the police, he's still an ordinary man who'd do anything to protect his family. The sequel introduces us to so many new characters but the focus is still on Mohanlal, who seems to be a much calmer man this time around but nobody has a clue about what's brewing in his mind.