Drishyam 2 review: Highly satisfying sequel that's as good as its predecessor

Sequels are usually made to cash in on the success of the earlier movies. Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam 2: The Resumption, which skipped the theatres and has been premiered on Amazon Prime Video, is an exception. It’s one of those few thoroughly gripping and entertaining sequels to have come out of Indian cinema. Powered by top-class writing and plenty of unexpected twists, it packs a solid punch and makes for a riveting watch till the end. A masterclass in building suspense, Drishyam 2 works as effectively as the first part, if not better.

Drishyam 2 takes off six years after Drishyam (2013) ended. A lot has changed in the life of Georgekutty (Mohanlal) and his family. From a cable TV operator, Georgekutty has grown to become a theatre owner. He is also a producer in the making and has been working on a script with a writer for a few years now, but he is in no hurry to make the film because he wants it to be an extraordinary experience for audiences. He is still a family man at heart, and we get some lovely scenes with his folks in the house.

As the film progresses, we learn that the police are secretly still investigating the mysterious disappearance of Varun Prabhakar, the character from the first part whose murder was pinned on Georgekutty. When a breakthrough comes about in the case, Georgekutty and his family are once again suspects and the investigation is reopened. Whether Georgekutty is guilty and how he will protect his family this time form the crux of the story.

The world of Drishyam 2 is beautifully built, and a lot of the credit must go to writer-director Jeethu Joseph for giving us a genuine sequel with well-established characters. In the first part, everybody around Georgekutty had a lot of sympathy for his family as they were framed for a murder the police couldn’t prove. Six years later, the same people have grown jealous of Georgekutty’s rise on the business front and some even start to whisper that he is no ordinary man but a criminal mastermind.

As the story progresses — with a good first half spent on Georgekutty and his family, along with some new characters — it is only in the final 45-odd minutes that Drishyam 2 starts to make sense, and it gets unbelievably complex but gripping at the same time.

It’s no exaggeration to call Drishyam 2 one of the best sequels ever. Georgekutty, though played by one of Indian cinema's biggest stars, is no 'hero' but someone who is well aware that he has to pay for his actions and is prepared. Georgekutty, as a character says, has been waiting for six years to just test his luck with a plan he has been patiently crafting, one that takes us all by surprise.

Mohanlal brings so much restraint to his performance as Georgekutty. For someone who successfully fools everybody around him, including the police, he is still an ordinary man who would do anything to protect his family. The sequel introduces us to so many new characters, but the focus is still firmly on Mohanlal's character, who seems to be a much calmer man this time around but nobody has a clue about what’s brewing in his mind.