DRISHYAM 3 (ORIGINAL) REVIEW

If someone told me back in 2013 when I watched the OG Drishyam that the legacy, story and characters are going to live on sequel after sequel, I wouldn’t believe it. In fact when I recently learnt that there is going to be a part 3, I was skeptical. For me, part 2 had reached the pinnacle of suspense and it had all the elements of a grand finale. Renewing the series raised concerns that the makers were possibly burdened by the box office pressure and lure to deliver yet another blockbuster.

Now, having watched part 3 of what I think is the best franchise ever made in India, I’m convinced that there is still scope for more. Not because there are many loose ends in the latest film, but because the story has been set up in such a way right from the beginning. And because I want more, of course! Who wouldn’t want to continue to be invested in Georgekutty’s sly and almost maniacal efforts to bulletproof his family from outside threats?

The big man to thank for all of this is director Jeetu Joseph, who has nurtured Drishyam over the years like his own child. Not tainted by the tendency to needlessly experiment or re-invent the wheel, a big part of why Drishyam has been working is the by-the-book filmmaking by Jeetu Joseph. The trick is to let the film be driven by the fear and anticipation that something bad is about to happen even when everything seems perfectly normal on the outside. In that sense, by letting the film direct itself, Jeetu has displayed the restraint of a great filmmaker.

What’s also somehow holding this film together is Mohanlal’s outstanding performance, or should I say the lack of performance. His eyes have the ability to transform a blank piece of paper in the script to a gripping scene on screen.

Abhishek Pathak, the director of the second part of Drishyam in Hindi, recently said in an interview that the Hindi version of this latest installment was written independently of the Malayalam script, under the pretext of catering specially to a Hindi audience. In my opinion, that’s the dumbest thing to do. It’s like taking away a grown up child from his/her biological parents and then leaving the rest of the upbringing in the hands of the foster parents. The plot is universally engaging and requires no tailor-made tweaking.

I’m going with 4/5 for Drishyam 3. Although I think part 2 was slightly better, and the final twist is a bit of a stretch and out of character even for a guy as smart as Georgekutty, it’s all in service of delivering what Drishyam has come to be known for over the years and is in its DNA: shock value. Let’s celebrate this insanely original piece of work that has redefined the boundaries of mystery films.