Drishyam

... and a really good replica but, the original Malayalam version just edges it for me, it's a bit more gritty, rugged and not quite as polished.

Just came back from the Premier Screening of Drishyam. The reason for me to catch the movie was the reviews of the original Drishyam which is a Malyalam movie with Mohanlal as the lead actor. The trailers of this Hindi remake with powerful existence of Ajay Devgan (or Devgn, as he writes it now) and Tabu, motivated me to go for this movie after a tiring Thursday in office, (mentioning the tiring day as disappointment was the last this I was willing to accept after the day, Glad I chose this movie). So the movie starts with a small happy family of Vishal Salgaonkar which is living happily in the ever happy town of Goa, there family was disrupted because of an unwanted person entering into their lives who happens to be the son of the Inspector general of Goa, Meera Deshmukh, then an accident happens which changes the life of this family for ever. The way this 4th grade failed person (Vishal) plays with the police department is commendable. So the movie is about how actually Vishal safeguard his family and himself against powerful Meera and her Police Department.

My special suggestion is to have patience and sit for the first half of the movie as nothing much will happen but the story will be built up. After the interval when you come back with that tub of popcorn, its then the real investigation and the never ending plot of Vishal to safeguard his family starts, the proceedings will sometimes give you goose bumps and at times you will expect something to happen which will not happen and hence the tag line of the move "Visuals Can Be Deceptive" The Camera work of the movie is good. it features some of the beautiful locations of Goa (I am not sure if all of that was Goa) The acting done by the whole Salgaonkar family is superb along with Tabu's never disappointing appearance in front of the camera. The movie has limited songs, Two, actually, if I remember correctly, but both the tracks are good and perfectly goes with the situation. The side characters in the movie are also done by good actors and so they mix in the screenplay very meticulously. Overall, Its 100% worth a watch on this weekend, so go ahead book your tickets and go for it, I am sure you wont be disappointed, specially people who like Ajay Devgn on screen should go for this movie for sure.

What are the necessary requirements for making a good movie? I guess strong acting, realistic judgments made by characters, complementary music and tight pacing are essential elements in achieving this. In all these departments, Drishyam stands head and shoulders over every other Bollywood movie that has come out in this year. Even though it is a remake of a Malyalam movie, there is no loss of quality and it delivered emphatically.

The essence of the movie is that due to some unexpected turn of events, a normal middle-class family gets itself involved in the missing case of the son of Senior Police Officers. As they never intended to do anything wrong, they decide to forge a story to dupe the police and save themselves.

Ajay Devgan and Tabu are the two established actors in this movie, and both of them prove their mettle. It is a welcome change for Ajay Devgan as he has made one bad movie after another despite possessing great acting talent. He plays Vijay who runs a cable TV network and leads a modest life that revolves around his family. Tabu, on the other hand plays the IG officer who is the mother of her missing son. She once again proved that she is the finest actress in Bollywood with a menacing, layered performance that will leave people spellbound.

Drishyam is a suspense movie and the director does well to include several trademark techniques that are used in such movies. The slow- zoom, slick editing and the tense background score all add another dimension to the well-written thriller.

The movie explores several elements of Indian life such as the rampant corruption of police officers, unyielding devotion to family, and the longing for revenge. Drishyam is a well-made movie that deserves wide recognition for its achievement in making something that everyone can relate with. All the actions that the characters made were justifiable and any other person in that situation would have done the same. I have not revealed much about the movie in this review because you have to see it to understand the power of this movie.

If you thought Ajay Devgan and Tabu's riveting performances would be a reason sufficient enough to watch this movie,then let me tell you.It is the film's story which wins in the end. First half is lose and needs editing,however the second half doesn't let you even move your eyeballs off the screen. Shriya Saran is good in looks n below average in acting.Both her daughters look convincing and act decently well. The story keeps you glued till the last frame,and the last 1 minute of conclusion gives you goosebumps and deserves claps.Intense,engaging,sharp and an intelligent thriller.This visual is DEEPLY DECEPTIVE.

Casting – 4/5

Acting – 4.5/5

Story – 5/5

Screenplay – 5/5

Editing – 5/5

Cinematography – 4/5

Background Score – 4/5

Wow, finally a good thriller movie after a long time. Drishyam is a remake of the Malayalam movie by the same title. The movie is nestled in a Goan village, the kind where everyone knows one- another. The protagonist is a middle-class Goan Vijay Salgaonkar( Ajay Devgn) for whom his family's well being is paramount.

Ajay plays the role of a 5th class school-dropout who runs a local cable-service provider shop. He is a big movie-buff and spends most of his time at work looking at the motion pictures.  

Vijay has a cozy life with his wife Nandini(Shriya Saran) , elder daughter( Ishita Dutta, 'Poonam  from Ek Ghar Banaunga'  & Tanushree Dutta's sister) and younger daughter(Mrinal Jadhav).  The coziness of his family is shattered one night following an offhand chain of events.

Vijay's character development is myriad throughout the film and it compels you to think away from the extreme principles of black vs white,  right vs wrong, yin vs yang.  His strong will and steadfastness to protect his family at all costs forms the backbone of the story.

The unfateful night's chain of events leads to a massive police search headed by the stern and steely IPS Meera Deshmukh (Tabu).

Tabu's acting is top-notch in multiple interrogation  scenes throughout the movie with a distinct no-nonsense persona on display at all times.

Ishita Dutta is remarkable in her Bollywood debut with a wide palette of emotions. Mrinal Jadhav plays the role of the innocent and adorable younger daughter splendidly, generating a few interspersed audience laughs.

Rajat Kapoor has a knack for playing the upper-class, businessmen –roles and is casted perfectly as Tabu's husband. However his character is a bit monochromatic, probably due to the script.

The movie has multiple twists arousing the curiosity of the audience culminating into a superb climax.

Even though the film is 2 hours and 43 minutes long, it binds the audience to their seats till the very last scene.

I strongly recommend this film, especially to the thriller genre lovers.

P.S. The film also teaches you why watching movies can impart you with paramount life-skills. So, definitely a connect with the movie buffs :)