Drushyam 2 Movie Review: Jeethu Joseph returns to Telugu cinema to direct Drushyam 2, the sequel to the 2014's Drushyam, which was a remake of his own Malayalam movie, whose sequel also he had directed earlier this year. And so he created the most unexpected franchise that spans over languages and even countries. Drushyam 2 brings back Venkatesh, Meena, Krutika, Esther Anil, Nadhiya Moidu, Naresh from the first film, and continues the tale of Rambabu, a cable TV shop owner and a seemingly everyday family man, who can go to any desperate lengths to save his family, and has an intelligence (and love for cinema) that could defeat the entire police force. Venkatesh Daggubati on Drushyam 2: It Will Take Audiences on Emotional Yet Exhilarating Journey.

Drushyam 2 is set six years after the events of the first film. Rambabu is a bit more well-to-do this time around, owning a theatre and planning to produce a film, though his wife Jyothi feels he is merely wasting lakhs of money for a project that might never happen. His elder daughter Anju is still mentally scarred by the events of what happened six years back, while younger daughter Anu is at a boarding school. Jyothi is very worried that the hidden skeletons (pun intended) might surface, but Rambabu has forbidden them to even discuss this matter at their home.

He may have committed the perfect coverup but what if there was an eyewitness that he could never have anticipated? What if the cops haven't given up on the Varun missing case, and merely waiting for him to play a weak move in his over-confidence?

Watch the Trailer:

If there is one review I regret not giving an additional star, it would be for Jeethu Joseph's Drishyam 2. When I watched the sequel to the Malayalam blockbuster, that released on Amazon Prime VIdeo earlier this year, I found the first half to be wobbly and the second half to be brilliant. Hence my review was so accordingly. Multiple viewings later, I found the movie's script to be so intelligent - even the supposedly shaky first half had some nice witticisms within that you get hold of after your second or third watch - that I prefer the sequel over the first film anytime. Drishyam 2 Movie Review: Mohanlal’s Sequel to His Blockbuster Family Thriller Is Loaded With Pulpy Surprises.

Drushyam 2 is very faithful remake, benefitting from the fact that it retains the original director who doesn't meddle much with the script. There are a couple of very minor changes, like a needless imaginative sequence in the first half of the Malayalam original is taken off, or including a scene where Rambabu is called to Rajavaram police station for questioning on a different case, and his eyes remain fixated over the spot where he had hidden the body. And since  the protagonists are Hindu, Jyothi's anxieties are further accentuated by visits to an astrologer who predicts darkness ahead. These tinkerings benefit the film, so nothing to worry there. Mostly, Drushyam 2 takes the very same route as the original.

And despite being a facsimile, Drushyam 2 retains the same level of interest and impact that I sorely miss in other remakes. The success of Drushyam 2 is that while it maintains the similarity, it doesn't come across as a weak or a shallow copy (see Bhramam or Maestro - the AndhaDun remakes - that doesn't maintain the same effect on the viewer), but retains the same impact in nearly every aspect of the original - be it in direction, editing and in the performances.  Yes, the brilliance of Mohanlal can't be replicated, but Venkatesh is really. really good in the lead role. A couple of months back, when I reviewed Narappa, the remake of Asuran, I had pointed out how Venkatesh was a miscast stepping into the magnifique shoes of Dhanush, who won a National Award for his performance. Narappa Movie Review: Venkatesh and Priyamani’s Faithful Asuran Remake Is a Victim of Comparison Trap.

No such case here. Venkatesh brings a genuine believability into the role, helped pretty well by Jeethu's tight direction and writing. The others in the cast have also done their jobs well, including new entrants like Sampath who plays the ingenious IG in charge of the re-investigation and Tanikella Bharani as a famous screenplaywright. What's more, a couple of weak performances in the Malayalam original find better replacements here.

Yay!

- A Faithful Remake That Doesn't Let Down the Original in Any Way

- Venkatesh

Nay!

- Could Have Been Sharper Especially the First Half

Final Thoughts

I still maintain the stand that regional movies should avoid remaking each other's content, and instead allow the viewers to expand the horizons of their movie-watching experience. For me, Drushyam 2 felt a nice revisit (albeit in another language) to what was a really enjoyable movie with a massy punch, but nowhere I felt that the Telugu remake slackened in any aspect during its adaptation. That's the victory for Drushyam 2, and if you have not seen the original, then you would truly enjoy this one.

(PS: the three star rating is because I had {regrettably} given the same rating to the Malayalam original. Felt that a half star would be an injustice to the original, or lesser would be harsh to this one)

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2021 12:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).