DRISHYAM reviews - Page 6

*MILD-SPOILERS*

Film Review: Drishyam
Tabu is in fine form in this twisty comic thriller


Uday Bhatia


At the time I saw Nishikant Kamat's Drishyam, I hadn't seen Jeethu Joseph's 2013 Malayalam comedy-thriller of the same name, on which it is based. I still haven't seen the recently released Tamil remake with Kamal Haasan. Nor have I read The Devotion of Suspect X, the Japanese novel that Joseph insists has nothing to do with the movie but which bears, in summary at least, more than a passing resemblance to it. So I was happy to play along with the conceit that this film was "based on an original story" by Joseph instead of being an authorised copy of a possible unauthorised copy.
Drishyam begins in the most un-thriller-like fashion. We meet Vijay, an amiable "chauthi fail ganwaar aadmi" (his own words) who owns a small cable TV business in Pandolim, Goa. The first 40 minutes are spent establishing him as a family man, movie-obsessed, not book smart but a quick thinker, popular in the community"all important factors in what's to come, but which might nevertheless have been handled with more economy. Just as I was beginning to scribble "Get a move on" on my pad, the film moved straight to fifth gear and stayed there for the next two hours.
The acceleration begins"and skip this paragraph if you'd prefer to avoid a mild spoiler"when Vijay's elder daughter, Anju, is approached by an unblinking young man who may as well have sleazebag written on his t-shirt. We'd seen the two on a school trip together, and he tells her that he'd shot a video of her taking a bath there. He asks her to meet him at night; she does, bringing along her mom for support (why not her well-muscled dad?). As the boy tries to blackmail the mother"there's a queasy scene with her going down on her knees to beg for daughter's honour"Anju grabs a rod and tries to knock the video-containing mobile phone out of his raised hand. She ends up braining him instead, and killing him. Mother and daughter bury the body in the backyard. When Vijay returns the next morning, they tell him all.
Instead of reporting the matter to the police, Vijay comes up with an elaborate plan to cover their tracks. To reveal any further details would be unfair"especially since it's so rare to see an Indian film that's constantly (and convincingly) a couple of steps ahead of the audience. Unfortunately, while the twisty plot is enough to see Drishyam home, Kamat's direction is just serviceable. Too often, he takes multiple scenes to establish things that could have been made clear in one. Remakes are often a good opportunity to trim the fat, but there's only a minute shaved off the original's 164-minute running time. There are also tonal inconsistencies: this sort of material is fine when played as a blackly comic thriller, but when the film regresses into a sentimental tale about a man trying to protect his family (and, let's not forget, covering up a murder), it's unconvincing. A dash of style might have helped as well. Visuals can be deceptive, the film's tagline warns"but the visuals here are just drab, even though Kamat has Avinash Arun (Killa, Masaan) behind the camera.

Neither are the performances all that they should be. Ajay Devgn's been away from serious acting for so long that it's a relief just to see him underplay and not chomp at the scenery too much. What he can't do is make Vijay interesting"he struck me as bland even before I saw Mohanlal essay the same role in the original. Shriya Saran as the wife and Ishita Dutta and Mrinal Jadhav as the older and younger daughter respectively do way too much hand-wringing, though whether that's the director's instructions or the performers' fault is difficult to tell.

In the midst of all this is Tabu, operating on a whole different level as IG Meera Deshmukh, a tough-as-nails cop who also happens to be the mother of the dead boy. Meera is immediately sususpicious of Vijay"it's a feeling we cops get, she explains to her husband (a quite moving Rajat Kapoor)"but she's also fascinated by his manoeuvring and his audacity, even as she's hurting for her loss. The way Tabu switches between these conflicting emotions, and occasionally allows them to overlap, is a sight to behold. Despite being saddled with a number of scenes in which she's asked to glare at the camera in slo-mo, she's the best thing in the film by some distance. Drishyam is a solid remake, but a film with Tabu as in the Vijay role and Devgn as the cop would have been so much more exciting.

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dBGafupSFsBCANlRBcVeTK/Film-Review-Drishyam.html

The above review is weird, in the end the reviewer is like, it would have been much exciting to watch Tabu play Devgn's role and Devgan as the cop! Like dafuq? Kuch bhi 😆

^Gah..read the last review with the spoilers.They seem to have changed the dramatic turn in this one a bit by reading the review...anyways quite a weird review..

Which review talks about the changed twist? I didn't find anything in the Live mint or the pinkvilla review? Will put spoilers alert though.

Drishyam Movie Review

SPOILERS AHEAD

Drishyam, a thriller that eschews the standard trappings of the suspense genre, is replete with surprises.

That, however, is true only if you haven't seen any of the four southern versions of the film, especially the recently released one in Tamil - Papanasam, starring Kamal Haasan in full flight.

The narrative nub of the 2013 Malayalam mega hit - which stretches from the sudden flashpoint that triggers its key dramatic conflict all the way to the shocking final revelation - is intricate and taut.

So in this faithful Hindi remake, there is little room for any major tweaking of the plot.

Director Nishikant Kamat and writer Upendra Sidhaye (adapted screenplay and dialogue) still manage to throw in a few new elements.

But the additional twists, except for the relocation of the story to Goa, have negligible impact on the shape and substance of the film.

Director of photography Avinash Arun harnesses the visual potential of the locales to great effect.

But Drishyam steers clear of the Goan beaches and bars that Bollywood loves to distraction.

A snappier lead-up to the main plot twist would have tightened up the film appreciably and let us into the protagonist's mind and world much quicker.

More momentum early on would have rid Drishyam of some of the flaccid introductory' scenes in the protagonist's home, his office and his frequent haunt - an eatery across the street from his business premises.

There is much in Drishyam that is instantly intriguing. Rare is a mainstream Indian film in which a character holds forth on the intricacies of 'visual memory', on perspectives, on how we tend to believe everything that we see.

That sounds akin to a chance replay of a DH Lawrence line (from Lady Chatterley's Lover): "What the eye doesn't see and the mind doesn't know, doesn't exist."

In Drishyam, seeing is indeed believing. Everything else spawns a series of questions about right and wrong, and about conventional morality and desperate necessity.

The many imponderables add to the enigma surrounding one ordinary man's extraordinary struggle to conceal a dark secret.

For Ajay Singham Devgn, Drishyam represents a return to a long abandoned terrain dotted by such critical hits as Zakhm, Gangaajal and Omkara.

The actor brings the full force of his brooding presence to bear upon the role of a common man who does not lift a finger to fight his opponents, but stops at nothing to protect his wife (Shriya Saran) and elder daughter (debutante Ishita Dutta) from harm.

This unconventional hero, Vijay Salgaonkar, a small-time cable TV operator in a Goan location named Pandolem, erects an elaborate web of alibis when an unintentional crime casts a long shadow on his family.

He finds himself up against an unyielding police woman, inspector-general Meera Deshmukh (a rather miscast Tabu), whose personal stake in the case is very high. She is both victim and tormentor.

One tragic incident and two sets of parents with divergent perspectives on it occupy the centre of this unique drama, which draws most of its efficacy from an intelligent script that puts virtually all its cards, save one, on the table.

The schtick that is held back relates to the lies that Vijay Salgaonkar takes recourse to in order to disguise the truth in a manner that makes it impossible for the investigators to penetrate its core. In their unraveling is the crux of the drama.

Vijay's bete noire is a corrupt and ruthless local sub-inspector who hates the hero's guts and loses no opportunity to push the man into a corner.

On the face of it, it looks like an unequal battle. The police do not think much of Vijay.

He is a school dropout all right. but he isn't a sitting duck. His mind games catch the cops unawares.

The law enforcers have no idea that the movie-obsessed Vijay has, over the years, culled enough functional knowledge of judicial processes and investigative procedures to be able to outsmart the best of sleuths.

Ek hi saboot hai hamare khilaaf - hamara darr (there is only one evidence against us - our fear), Vijay tells his wife Nandini and daughter Anju every time the two are on the brink of giving up the fight.

In this struggle to conquer fear and doubt, Vijay's impulses are easy to understand. Self-preservation is a strong motivation.

But the manner in which a bunch of complete strangers play to Vijay's tune is not always believable.

And despite the acuity of the story written by Jeethu Joseph (who directed the Malayalam and Tamil versions), the film falls for the lure of an avoidable cinematic clich - a pubescent daughter as a symbol of a family's izzat.

It is not quite in sync with what is otherwise a pretty impressive screenplay.

Tabu is caught between two stools - underplaying her emotions (which she does very well) and overdoing her swagger to the accompaniment of loud background music (which obviously isn't her mtier).

In contrast, Rajat Kapoor, in the role the police officer's businessman-husband who clings to his sanity even as he suffers, is strikingly subtle in his mood shifts.

Drishyam is gripping in parts but is anything but an unblemished humdinger.

Movie Review: Drishyam

(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)

Since the release of Jeethu Joseph's Malayalam film "Drishyam" (Visual) in 2013, it has been remade in four different languages. The latest is Nishikant Kamat's Hindi adaptation. In each remake, whether it is the Kannada, Telugu or the Tamil version, the story doesn't change, right from the opening shot to the way it ends, except the actors.

In the latest retelling, Kamat remains faithful to the original, making only miniscule changes to the screenplay. Joseph's "Drishyam", which some say borrows its central idea from Keigo Higashino's much-acclaimed novel "The Devotion of Suspect X", has such strong writing, well etched-out characters, and clarity of purpose that it would be a shame to tamper with it.

In Kamat's film, Mohanlal's rotund, middle-aged George Kutty gives way to Ajay Devgn as the sculpted, linen-shirt wearing Vijay Salgaonkar, and the green environs of Kerala are replaced by the equally lush Goan countryside.

Vijay is an orphan, devoted to his wife and two daughters, and runs a cable television business in a small Goan village. He spends his days watching movies in his office, bossing over his assistant and sipping tea until crisis befalls his family.

When the Salgaonkars are linked to the disappearance of a teenage boy, Vijay's idyllic life seems shattered beyond repair. He is up against the formidable Meera Deshmukh (Tabu), the topmost police officer in the state, who is determined to get to the bottom of a case deeply personal to her.

Like a faithful translator, writer Upendra Sidhaye jots down all the essential plot points, also adding a few contrivances of his own, but fails to give the flavour of the story, thus leaving it a little insipid and tasteless.

The original screenplay hits all the right notes in the Everyman's fight against an oppressive police force. There is also the question of family honour and the moral ambiguity that comes with protecting it. What makes the film even better is the way Joseph conveys these themes in the garb of humour, and later, as a thriller.

But the banter and repartee that the couple shares in the Malayalam film is missing between Devgn and his co-actor Shriya Saran. The feeling of a small community being shaken by what happens in their life is not adequately expressed either.

Of the cast, Devgn is mostly stone-faced as a man dealing with a storm in his life, but Tabu brings the arrogance and ruthlessness required for her role. Saran, as the scared wife, wears starched sarees and far too many designer blouses to appear convincing as a middle-class housewife.

Kamat's film works well if you haven't seen the original. Otherwise, this remake might fall a tad short.

Of the cast, Devgn is mostly stone-faced as a man dealing with a storm in his life,

Saran, as the scared wife, wears starched sarees and far too many designer blouses to appear convincing as a middle-class housewife. 😆 🤣

The ApunKaChoice movie review of Drishyam. NO SPOILERS AHEAD. Director Nishikant Kamat's movie Drishyam is not so much of a whodunit as it is a thriller about the battle of wits between a doughty top cop out to nab a culprit and an unassuming simple looking suspect who's got a razor sharp brain to cover his tracks.

The film tells the tale of Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn), a school dropout who runs a cable TV business in Goa, dotes on his family, and watches movies like there's no tomorrow. He and his family comprising a lovely wife (Shriya Saran) and two daughters live an easy life. But then an incident changes their lives forever.

A crime is committed. The son of the Inspector General Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) goes missing and the needle of suspicion swivels towards Salgaonkar and his family. But the family is steadfast in claiming innocence. Interrogation, coercion, and even physical torture fails to crack the Salgaonkars.

It all comes down to the battle of wits. Meera Deshmukh unearths the clues to implicate Vijay Salgaonkar, but the illiterate cable operator is always a step ahead with smart moves and alibis.

Trailer: Is Ajay Devgn innocent or guilty in Drishyam'

'Drishyam' is a riveting thriller that starts off rather slow but tightens its grip like a python and leaves you little breathing space by the end. It's littered with interesting twists which I choose not to disclose, but suffice it to say that none of these surprises and bolts from the blue seems forced in the narrative. They blend in seamlessly and piece together like one jigsaw puzzle.

Yes, the melodrama could have been avoided and the film's runtime generously trimmed by a good twenty minutes from its bum-aching length of 2 hours and 44 minutes.

Drishyam is a remake of director Jeethu Joseph's namesake Malayalam film which was rumored to be inspired from the Japanese crime-writer Keigo Higashino's novel The Devotion of Suspect X.

I haven't watched the Malayalam original, but what's definitely commendable about the Hindi remake is how the story pulls you in with every passing reel and keeps you riveted until the climax. It also tackles the ethical question of a crime being committed by someone weak to prevent persecution and exploitation at the hands of someone powerful. And it's as much a family drama as it is a thriller.

The film totally belongs to Ajay Devgn and Tabu. Ajay Devgn, whom we know as a muscle flexer and a mob-thrasher from films like Singham' and its sequel, transforms into a common man with ease and conviction. However, his character does come across as someone cold and unemotional at times. Tabu comes up with a stellar act as a predator cop who underestimates her quarry.

A special mention for Rajat Kapoor who complements her rather exceptionally well from the sidelines.

Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta (as elder daughter) and Kamlesh Sawant (playing a cop) come up with commendable acts.

Drishyam' is not your run-of-the-mill thriller. Director Nishikant Kamat executes some really interesting sequences, particularly the ones involving Tabu and Ajay Devgn. However, he fails to keep a check on the runtime and the gratuitous melodrama.

Worth a watch.

Rating: ***1/2

Originally posted by: awesomegurti

Of the cast, Devgn is mostly stone-faced as a man dealing with a storm in his life,

Saran, as the scared wife, wears starched sarees and far too many designer blouses to appear convincing as a middle-class housewife. 😆 🤣