As I came out of the theatre after watching the film – “Drishyam,” I noticed a 30-something guy picking up his daughter and holding her real tight. I also saw his other hand holding his wife’s hand with the same grip as his daughter’s. Moving along the queue of satisfied people, I tried studying them closely. I saw everyone feeling good about themselves, feeling joyous that they have a family to go back to. At the same time, I wouldn’t call this film Nishikant Kamat’s “Drishyam” because it simply isn’t. I wouldn’t even call it by the name of the book it is based on. But I would love to call this film a Jeethu Joseph story because that is exactly what it is.
I remember a character in “2 States” saying this: “Story main hero ho ya na ho, story hero honi chaiye.”. When I look back at my experience of watching this film last night, I can clearly see Ajay Devgan standing in front of his house as his scared daughter cries behind his back while a cop questions him about his whereabouts. But as I roll a paper-thin joint and think about my experience of watching this film, I also remember a character (not specifically: Ajay Devgn) explaining things to a group of random people with whom he truly wants to stand alongside; about how to handle a situation 101.
This film can be a remake or even a rip-off. But there is such immortal power in the wonderful story by Jeethu Joseph that even with any star, with any kind of direction – a humanized and culturally significant version of The Devotion of Suspect X, saving Family Y, defending them against System Z will always be crystal clear.
Talking about anything that’s related to the film can act as a spoiler, so I wouldn’t go into it. If it’s your first time watching ‘The Visuals’ (Drishyam), I strongly recommend you go in with a clean slate. Don’t let the trailers, synopsis and every random social media update like this one spoil the film for you. For those of you who still don’t trust the story: Read On!
“Drishyam” is about a ‘Chauthi Fail‘, [someone who couldn’t even get through 4th grade] common man who has only films to teach him everything he has ever done in his life. He lives in a minute place on the outskirts of Goa with a family that is equally simple and miles away from the general distraction caused by the ever-changing fashion trends, styling, and moronic things hampering their minds. They are a bunch of people who have never really wanted to (or are at least made to) come to the big city and drown in its cultural lies, backstabbing relationships, and headlong heirlooms. To them, staying with one another is the greatest thing. But what if the air is polluted? It quite evidently travels faster than one can imagine and reaches out to ones who want nothing from it.
“It’s completely okay if you watch any of the versions of Drishyam if not this one. But it’s a necessary watch for every movie lover.”
I have not seen the original film so a comparison is clearly not possible. Judging this purely on the grounds of a new film, I was completely pleased with it. That being said, I still feel there are things that go amiss. For example, The interval marks the beginning of a new chapter in this tale of heroic audacity. I feel a strong film needs strong characters if it can’t afford to have strong actors. While the addition of a new character who is actually a great actor (Read: Tabu) should boost the copious amount of excitement for what’s about to come, Nishikant over-plays with an inane, over-blown, slo-mo shot of a lady cop swagging it out.
What’s strange is the fact that Tabu’s character had depth. While she dons the role of a ruthless cop she is also a mother not being able to find her lost treasure. But it seemed that her character did have two different things but they weren’t the ones I mentioned above. She both under-plays and over-plays her character, which doesn’t make you emotionally invested in her. There’s also a wasted Rajat Kapoor as the worried husband. But bashing this film on the grounds of mediocrity in the acting department would be a crime because the real hero is the story, and there are no pitfalls there. The screenplay is not hampered by unnecessary songs even though the film is 2 hours 43 minutes long.
It’s amazing how this family drama quickly changes into an edge-of-the-seat thriller and then juggles around. It showcases the power of cinema, both on film and beyond that, which makes for an intriguing watch. The story pays brilliant homage to all the people who worship and study films for a living. There are several places in the second half where the film could have ended and would have still made complete sense, but since the screenplay manages to pinch you once and again, saying – “This is not over yet,” makes it a win-win!. It’s completely okay if you watch any of the versions of Drishyam if not this one. But it’s a necessary watch for every movie lover.
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watched the original Malayalam one…!! rightly said, it is not about the film but the story that needs to be relished… I am definitely going to try a different version after every couple of months… loved it…!!
True that man!
To be honest, I went to Drishyam (Hindi) after watching Drishyam(Telugu) some nights ago. But I couldn’t really connect with the Ajay Devgn version. It felt very mediocre and poorly acted.