I never knew that a sequel could be so engaging. Yes, Drishyam One had us gripping our seats. Well!! This one is not far behind.

 

It’s been seven years and Vijay Salgaonkar and his family are unable to forget the trauma that had a huge impact on them. Drishyam Two, also based on a thriller by the same name written in Malayalam, picks off just where the 2015 film left off, with Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) leaving the police station with a shovel. The police have renewed their interest in the disappearance of Sameer Deshmukh aka Sam seven years after the initial inquiry was conducted because a witness to the near-perfect crime provided them with new leads. Anju, his eldest daughter, played by Ishita Dutta, is still suffering from the trauma she experienced, while Anu, his youngest daughter, played by Mrunal Jadhav, is in her teens. His wife Nandini (Shriya Saran) and their children are carrying on with life as usual, although everyone is on high alert. Sam’s parents have returned from London, and they are still looking for his body with the help of a new Inspector General Tarun Ahlawat played by Akshaye Khanna. Vijay Salgoankar has moved way up in his life. He drives a big car (a KIA), owns a movie theatre and is also working on a movie script, eventually turning his passion into money making. But as Vijay had anticipated the law is closing in on him and he has to figure out once again how he is going to protect his family.

 

The audience is expected to remember the first part of this film quite clearly as it is a direct sequel. Considering that Part one was released in 2015, this sequel has flashbacks and snapshots from the former. The opening credit scenes include these flashback scenes to refresh memory of the viewer. Drishyam One had been directed by Nishkanth Kamath. This time director Abhishek Pathak adopts Jeethu Joseph’s original story with writer Aamil Keeyan Khan to create a fast moving, easy and engaging film.  A screen writer named Murad Ali played by Saurabh Shukla is working with Vijay; there is a mention of a copyright and what filmmakers must do to prevent the script from being stolen. Having watched Vijay’s Modus Operandi before one knows there are all breadcrumbs leading precisely where he wants to take us.  As his daughters try to convince him to cast Ranbir Kapoor in his movie; they themselves are actors in his charade, pretending to not know anything about the murder when the police come knocking. Vijay is aware of the fact that his wife and daughters are not as capable as he is of coping with this dark macabre secret.

 

’Sach pedh ke beej ki tarah hota hai, jitna chahe dafna lo, ek din bahar aa hi jaata hai’ (The truth is like a seed of a tree, you cannot bury it for long). This is one of Vijay’s central dialogues, when he finally confesses to his crime. Ajay Devgan’s stoic and unnerving matter of fact characterization as Vijay Salgaonkar is rather welcome, especially when juxtaposed with his screen wife, Shriya Saran, who has taken upon herself the task of compensating for her onscreen husband’s lack lustre approach to life. No doubt her character is anxious, timid and nervous, but she does full justice to her character. The movie has only two scenes featuring Tabu; pre interval and a handful ones after, which is a bit of a disappointment. The director could have tapped her potential as a stellar actor. Akshaye Khanna leaves the viewer with the impression of a strong investigating officer. There is a profound dialogue by Vijay to Nandini, “Jab tak hum zinda hai, tab tak ye chaanbeen chalti rahegi” (As long as we are alive, this investigation will not cease). This dialogue reverberates throughout the film and one can feel that the cops will not leave the family in peace. Is there a Drishyam 3 in offing? Perhaps. So on a scale of 10 I would rate this movie 8, as this one has you glued to your seats.