Starring : Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Rajat Kapoor, Kamlesh Sawant
Producer : Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ajit Andhare, Abhishek Pathak
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Music : Vishal Bhardwaj
Review by : Kriti Agarwal
Rating : 4 out of 5
What's about : Inspired from a Japanese novel 'The Devotion of Suspect X' , Drishyam has been adopted in movies of different languages - the Malayalam DRISHYAM (2013 , Mohanlal) , Kannada DRISHYA (2014, V Ravichandran); Telgu DRUSHYAM(2014, Daggubati Venkatesh) & Tamil PAPANASAM(2015, Kamal Hassan).
The Hindi Drishyam [ 2015 , Ajay Devgan] is stunning, gripping, edge-of-the-seat, shocking, engrossing.... There is just one caveat: Don't compare it with the original 2013 Malyalam - which had Mohanlal.
It was the charm of Mohanlal’s in malyalam and Kamal Haasan’s in the Tamil remake) that distracted us from the contrivances in the script.
Face the bitter reality of life: We become culprit for no fault of ours , but due to evil intentions of few spoilt rich.
The films also emphasize the misuse of the power by senior authorities .
Story : Tale of a common man's dilemma, courage and deceit will reinstate your faith in the suspense genre.
The film is set in the Goan countryside . Ajay - Shriya has two munnis. Tabu - Rajat Kapoor have one munna. Munna tries to blackmail the elder munni over some pics and disappears.
Where is he on the earth or better still, below it?
This is the point where Drishyam takes off and sets the tone for a gripping cat and mouse game between the system and a technically illiterate villager.
And all through the struggle with a nail-biting climax, you are not sure who'll win in the end, and that is where this film scores.
Characters :
Ajay Devgn [Vijay Salgaonkar ] : terrific , an award-worthy performance. His intense eyes are enough to express frustration, anger, hidden emotions, smartness. His body language is enough to prove that he is a middle class ‘chouthi fail ganwar’.
Shriya Saran [ Nandini Vijay Salgaonkar] : the southern actress Shriya Saran [ 32] , gets a bit overpowered by Tabu and Ajay’s powerful performances. But she makes her presence felt with her fine performance . Too young to play a mother of two kids.
Kamlesh Sawant [Inspector Gaitonde ) :superb. his piercing eyes and proverbial ruthlessness will haunt you for days . He is so good at bad things that you would wish the worst for him.
Tabu [ IG Meera Deshmukh ]: strong performance as a formidable villain, portraying with great finesse a ruthless cop who is also emotionally distraught at the loss of her son. she takes the film to another level.
Rajat Kapoor [ Meera's Husband] : fine subtle performance in a small but important role of a father pining for his lost son.
Ishita Dutta [ Anju -Vijay's daughter]: excellent performance. Debutant Ishita was in the TV serial Ek Ghar Banaunga
.
Prathamesh Parab [ Jose] : funny and quite a nice actor.
Sameer Deshmukh (Risabh Chaddha-the son of IG Tabu) : quite decent.
Sharad Bhutadiya ( Martin Uncle) : plays a very lovable character with ease.
supporting cast :
Mrinal Jadhav puts up a good show in the interrogation scenes. The actors playing senior inspector Rane, senior inspector Prabhu, contractor Rane, Nandini’s parents and brother, the restaurant owner and Swami Chinmayanand do a very good job.
Pros : second half moves briskly, Cinematography , sharp editing, marvellous story, screenplay is sharp and highly engaging. simple and to the point dialogues. highly effective direction.
Cons : shriya saran , the first half of story very long.
Music : There are 2 songs. Dum Ghutta Hai stands out due to its catchy tune. carbon copy is good .The haunting & terrifying back ground music makes you deeply involved.
Drishyam works because :
1 -it talk about a common man not a hero
2 - you feel for every character in the film.
3 - it leaves you stunned.
4 - it keeps you glued to your seat till the last moment.
5 - it's a finely crafted suspense thriller
6 - it shows two different India.
7 - visuals can be deceptive.
8 - No item song ,No slang language, No execessive love and intimate scenes & No villain.
9 - full of suspense & thrill , watch the entire movie with gasping eyes stuck on the screen.
10- a clear message about how we care for our family. It shows the courage to face difficulties.
Some of the best scenes :
1.Vijay gives the ‘Habeas Corpus’ idea
2.The songs Carbon Copy and Dum Ghutta Hai
3.The fateful night for the Salgaonkars
4.Vijay goes alone to Panaji
5.The intermission point
6.Vijay instructing his family on how to move ahead
7.The family gets interrogated
8.IG Meera Deshmukh realizes the truth
9.The last 20-25 minutes
10.The final scene(masterstroke!)
Bottom line : A suspense drama with a nail-biting finish. Drishyam holds the viewer by the eyeballs till its' engaging climax. Drishyam is a masterpiece, one of the best spellbinding, drama-thrillers. A must watch.