Drishyam 2: 7 Corporate Lessons We Can Learn From Mohanlal’s Georgekutty, One of the Most Ingenious Protagonists Ever! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Drishyam and Drishyam 2 might not be perfect thrillers - even if they are awesomely entertaining - but we cannot deny that Mohanlal's protagonist Georgekutty is one of the most well-written protagonists in commercial cinema. What makes him such a standout is not his bravado or masochism, but his intellect and ingenuity - two 'strengths' never utilised much for a hero in a mainstream Indian film. Credit of course has to be given to writer-director Jeethu Joseph's incredible writing and for actor Mohanlal for beautifully underplaying the role. Drishyam 2 Movie Review: Mohanlal’s Sequel to His Blockbuster Family Thriller Is Loaded With Pulpy Surprises.

Georgekutty is an underdog and he remains to be so even after two movies and defeating his opponents in their own game, which is what makes him a protagonist worth rooting for. He is a saviour made out of circumstances; normally, he is a miserly family man who cares for his wife and two daughters, and seems to have an opinion on everything. Georgekutty, or let's call him GK (which reminds us of another brilliant underdog hero in Malayalam cinema, this time played by Mammootty in the 1987 film New Delhi), has not even completed schooling. What he lacks in education, GK compensates that with his intellect, worldly knowledge and of course, subtle manipulation. Remember how he fooled half a dozen people into thinking a wrong date in Drishyam!

In Drishyam 2, his technique of manipulating situations goes one level further, even beyond normal reasoning. Just like how a judge in the film surmised our  exact thoughts by saying, "What an extraordinary man!" Sure, GK is one, as he bests the entire police department twice, and not for any nefarious purposes. And with his second innings, GK gives so much to learn from his character. To rephrase myself here, we are talking talking about committed further crimes (the OG Drishyam inspired a few copycat crimes). If you are thinking that way, you failed to get the film's end-message. Drishyam 2 Ending Explained: Will Mohanlal’s Georgekutty Return for a Threequel? Find Out!

But if you are into corporate training, there are quite a few corporate lessons you can learn from Georgekutty based on what he planned and executed successfully in Drishyam 2.

Life-Lesson #1 - Know Your Priority and Sticking to It No Matter What

For GK, his biggest priority was to keep his family safe. He might have committed a crime by hiding a body, but there is a valid explanation for him. His wife and his daughter killed the victim in self-defense because the latter was trying to molest them, and knowing that he is the son of a top-ranking officer, Georgekutty wasn't sure if self-defense could be used as a plea to save them. In Drishyam 2, the dead boy's mother did tell the new IG to avoid mentioning the nude clip he has shot of GK's daughter from the FIR, and also she kept badgering on the point that it was GK's daughter who called the boy home. Enough for us to understand that the law system would not be fair to GK's family, and he stuck to his priority even at the cost of compassion.

Life-Lesson #2 - Disseminate Only Information That's Required

Even though GK kept the whereabouts of the body to himself, he still failed to prevent its discovery. Still if he had ingeniously managed to come out of the situation, it's because he was planning his backup strategy for years. While we talk more on that ahead, the smart thing he did was make sure his family members never discuss the incident in the roof. He might have suspected that they would be bugged, which is exactly what happened. Imagine if he had told them where he hid the body, the police would have gotten that info out of his family members, who aren't as resilient as him, much earlier. Even when GK 'admitted' his crime to the police officer, he didn't reveal the whole truth, so that they could keep their guard down and think they had him trapped. How wrong they are!

Life-Lesson #3 - Always Have Foresight and Prepare Accordingly

GK isn't an over-confident man. When he told his family that no one can find where he had hidden the body, he wasn't boasting. As it was mentioned in Drishyam 2, he knew that skeletons will tumble out the closet, and in this case, out of the floor of a police station. And he has been preparing for that moment, perhaps the very moment, he buried the body in. He didn't rest on his victory, instead he prepared himself for the next battle.

Life-Lesson #4 - Take the Risks

When scriptwriter Vinayachandran (Saikumar) shared his experience of writing a screenplay with Geetha (Asha Sarath), Prabhakar (Siddique) and Thomas (Murali Gopy), he says that he and GK didn't agree on a climax. Because of the risk factors. Earlier in the film, even GK tells Vinayachandran that he doesn't support that climax, for the same reasons. And yet, he did plan and execute his plan accordingly, knowing that a slight failure would topple all. In the end for GK, his risks paid the dividends and he managed to save his family again.

Life-Lesson #5 - Know Your Competition

Thomas tells Geeta in the end that it is not they who were keeping tabs on GK, but the other way round. And how true is that statement! GK kept a CCTV near his cable TV office, so that he can keep a tab on what's happening at the police station. He learnt of the police procedures that would take place if they take the body, and exploited the weak areas to his advantage. He used the law (and a strong lawyer) to get their questioning time reduced, and also later to get immunity from the court. Whatever the cops strategised, GK always thought one step ahead. Which is why even when GK faltered - not realising his neighbours were spies - he still managed to save the day!

Life-Lesson #6 - Use Your Resources Smartly and Invest Rightly

Earlier in the film, GK's wife Rani (Meena) accused him of wasting their money on producing the film, and even having started drinking. We also learnt later that he was helping out a poor church-employee financially when the latter was bed-ridden. It is only towards the end that we know the money was to get the right information, the booze was to ensnare a future ally, and the charity was a means to keep his secret by buying that man's confidence. By investing in the theatre and selling some of his land, he got the big money he needed, which also means he didn't need to be at his workplace all the time.

Life-Lesson #7 - Be Ready To Take The Fall

GK not only was ready to take the blame for the murder that his wife and daughter committed, but also lived with the guilt on the wrong he has done (to the boy's parents). That's the sign of a great team-leader. Drishyam 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2021 08:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).