Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Drishyam 2’ lives up to the hype

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The opening scene of superstar actor Mohanlal’s Malayalam film <em>Drishyam 2: The Resumption</em>, sets the pace for what is to follow. Being streamed on Amazon Prime now, it begins with a man running desperately, splashing puddled water, avoiding roads, and hiding from beaming headlights, getting the audience hooked.</p>
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Written and directed by Jeethu Joseph, the sequel of his earlier 2013 <em>Drishyam</em>, is not a standalone movie. One needs to view that to understand what’s happening in this film.</p>
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Moving six years ahead, Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is an affluent man, owning a theatre while being a film buff keen to produce one, much to his wife Rani’s (Meena) dismay.</p>
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The family has settled down, following the end of Varun murder investigation. Yet the scars are there.</p>
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Meena wants Georgekutty to stay away from the celluloid world while the elder daughter Anju (Ansiba) suffers epileptic fits and is mortally scared of not just cops, even their shadow! Anu (Esther Anil) studying in a convent school is a sort of rebel, whose English gets on Rani’s nerves.</p>
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Neighbours too have changed their hue. The earlier sympathy has yielded to envy – mother of all sins!</p>
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Amidst all this stands, Mr. Cool, Georgekutty. Keeping the family morale high, he acts normal, or at least pretends. Any talk of Varun, he cuts short, avoiding direct eye contact.</p>
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Mohanlal carries the film with finesse. His facial gestures and eye movement effectively convey the nuances and emotions. He is ably supported by Meena, Ansiba and Esther, who essay their characters with ease.</p>
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Playing a perfect foil to Mohanlal is his nemesis IG Thomas Bastin (Murali Gopy), who reveals his cards slowly. Varun’s murder is a personal affront to him as a cop and for the suffering it caused his former colleague, Geetha Prabhakar, Varun’s mother. Gopy acting strides match well with Mohanlal, making their interaction lively and enjoyable!</p>
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Working tirelessly, Bastin’s perseverance and the web of investigation, he weaved patiently, starts paying dividends. In a moment of weakness, Rani shares with a lady cop, posing as her neighbour, that Georgekutty hasn’t told her where Varun’s body is buried. Piecing the jigsaw, Bastin ultimately corners Georgekutty, and his family, in presence of Geetha and her husband (Siddique), who come from the US.</p>
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The build-up till here, makes the audience empathise with Georgekutty, desperately wanting him to be free. Playing to his strength, Georgekutty’s inventiveness is brought to fore when Vinayachandran (Saikumar), essaying a veteran film script writer, divulges what he is up to.</p>
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Set free by police, Georgekutty eases his guilt by ensuring that Varun’s parents receive his ashes for the final rites. Bastin sums it well when he tells the Prabhakars to forget proving Georgekutty guilty and that his constant vigil and caution to stay ahead of law is punishment enough!</p>
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That’s the hint that Mohanlal and Joseph have something up their sleeves for us!</p>
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Joseph helms the project well, keeping the audience alert and engaged. The cinematography of the scenic beauty of the locale is mesmerising.</p>
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Worth watching, even for those not knowing Malayalam as the subtitles help greatly.</p>