DRISHYAM: THE CONCLUSION MOVIE REVIEW

The writers of Drishyam: The Conclusion made a bold move by pursuing a completely different trajectory from the Malayalam version. It is clear that the scripts for the two versions were developed in parallel, and directors Jeethu Joseph and Abhishek Pathak don’t even seem to have exchanged notes during the scripting process. Does this necessarily translate into a better film? Read on to find out.

The new central characters introduced in the film are the Special Branch Inspector, played by Jaideep Ahlawat, and the prosecutor, played by Prakash Raj. Jaideep’s opening scene announces his arrival in the big league of so-called stars. Although the scene (and, frankly, most of the film) is designed to play to the gallery, it is immensely gratifying to see an actor of his calibre finally receive the recognition he deserves. Of course, we have Akshaye Khanna to thank for this. His abrupt exit from the film, reportedly due to a dispute over his revised compensation following Dhurandhar’s massive success, gave birth to Jaideep’s Inspector Tomar. Complementing him are Prakash Raj, Kamlesh Sawant (the menacing, later comical, Gaitonde), and Ajay Devgn, who remains assuredly understated even when the film itself is decidedly exaggerated.

And this is probably my biggest frustration with the film. While I found it consistently engaging, I thought the stylised treatment of the story and its characters lent the film a certain flamboyance that didn’t sit well with the reputation of Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam. In the first half, every character speaks in metaphors involving jungles, cigarettes, and whatnot, simply to emphasise that this time, Vijay Salgaonkar will not be spared. By the end, when it becomes clear that Vijay has pulled another ‘Vijay’ on all his opponents, metaphors are once again used aplenty. Only this time, they convey a sense of respect for his inventiveness, coupled with the crushing feeling of defeat. This familiar template engenders fatigue and rarely allows the audience to genuinely feel anxious that Vijay might actually be in serious danger this time around. You may not know how, but you know for sure, all along, that he will get away with it yet again! In a way, Drishyam: The Conclusion could well have been called Drishyam 2: Part 2, if you know what I mean.

This is the main reason I liked the Malayalam version much more. Although the effectiveness of the climax is debatable, I was impressed by Jeethu Joseph’s efforts to add another maniacal dimension to Georgekutty’s character. He is not simply a man who misleads law enforcement agencies at every turn; rather, he is someone who will go to any length to protect his family, even if that means putting the very people he seeks to protect in harm’s way.

I’m going with 3/5 for Drishyam: The Conclusion. I read in an interview that director Abhishek Pathak felt the need to cater to the sensibilities of Hindi-speaking audiences and therefore chose to take the plot in an independent direction. Perhaps someone should remind him that Nishikant Kamat achieved the same degree of success with the first Drishyam by sticking to the original format. May Sam’s soul finally rest in peace!