Drishyam (2013)

English translation: Visual
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Story: Jeethu Joseph
Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Baby Esther
Music: Vinu Thomas, Anil Johnson
Time: 164 minutes
Bottom-line: Better than most modern thrillers 

My first review of a Malayalam film is that of Drishyam, which set a record of having crossed 10000 shows within 26 days of release. It is also the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time. Starring “The Complete Actor” Mohanlal and Meena in the lead roles, the film is perhaps the first one to be termed as a true “family thriller”, which is probably why it went on to become so popular among the locals and across the globe. Why was the film so well-received? Read on...

Mohanlal as Georgekutty

Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is an ordinary family man living with his wife, Rani (Meena), and two daughters: Anju and Anu. He runs a cable TV service in a rural part of Kerala. Being very helpful and friendly in nature, almost all the villagers are ready to help him anytime. Only one constable in the village, Sahadevan (Kalabhavan Shajon), has a grudge against Georgekutty. The actual story begins about 50 minutes into the film – Anju gets photographed in the bathroom by Varun, the son of inspector general Geeta (Asha Sarath). He blackmails her one night, and he is accidentally murdered by Anju and Rani. They hurriedly bury him in their land, and this is seen by Anu as well. When Georgekutty comes to know about this, he takes responsibility to protect his family against all odds. Meanwhile, Geeta starts an investigation, and Sahadevan immediately suspects Georgekutty. What the latter does, and how he protects his family is what the film is about.

First up, to enjoy the film, you need to patient for the first hour or so. The build-up for the main plot is too lengthy in the film, but according to Jeethu Joseph, that is how it was supposed to be. He said that in a family film, there needs to be some elements about family as well, and hence, that’s what the first 50 minutes are about. So hopefully, if you are still interested in watching the rest of the film, you will be entertained thoroughly. What makes it all the more enjoyable is that it is about an ordinary family – so you empathise with them in their troubles.

Meena as Rani

The twists and turns are quite good, and there is a fair amount of suspense as well. Like I said before, the main idea of the movie is to show how an ordinary family – including two girls of ages seventeen and six – survives police assaults and inquiries, and what an uneducated man is able to do to protect his family, based on general knowledge and smart thinking. Credit for making the story really effective goes to Mohanlal, who has given a splendid performance. At times funny, at times cunning and at other times smart, he lifts the film to a high level. Along with him, the co stars, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Baby Esther, Kalabhavan Shajon and (especially) Asha Sarath have given superb performances as well.

Ansiba Hassan as Anju

The score and cinematography are also good. Overall, Drishyam is an excellent film, the second half of which as perhaps better than most modern “thriller” films. The first half is too elaborate in my view, but the end result is more than satisfactory. All the actors have given good performances, and the overall story is superb. A family thriller that provides a truck-load of thrills more than expected, Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam could well be the beginning of a new “sub-genre” of thriller films.

My Rating: 4/5