Drushyam 2 movie review: A faithful remake that doesn’t dare to do anything different

Drushyam 2 is one of the safest remakes you’ll ever come across. When Mohanlal’s Drishyam 2 came out earlier this year and turned out to be an impressive sequel to the first part, it made the task of making the remakes in the other languages relatively easier. Drishyam 2, which was directed by Jeethu Joseph, was so flawless that nobody would dare to tamper. He took almost everything that worked in Drishyam 2 and recreates it scene by scene for the Telugu version too. The result is a faithful remake but one that plays very safe by not daring to do anything different.

Drishyam 2 takes off six years after the events of the first part. A lot has changed in the life of Rambabu (Venkatesh) and his family. From a cable TV operator, he has now grown to become a theatre owner and is also a film producer in the making. He’s been working on a script with a writer for a few years now but he’s in no hurry to make the film because he wants it to be an extraordinary experience for audiences.

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He’s still a family man at heart, and we get some lovely scenes with his wife and daughter. But as the film progresses, we learn that the police are secretly still investigating the mysterious disappearance of Varun Prabhakar – the young boy from the first part whose murder was pinned on Rambabu. After a major breakthrough, Rambabu and his family are once again suspects in the case and the investigation is reopened. 

The world of Drushyam 2 was beautifully built, and a lot of credit has to go to writer-director Jeethu Joseph for giving us a genuine sequel with well-established characters. In the first part, everybody around Rambabu had a lot of sympathy for his family as they were wrongly framed for a murder the police couldn’t prove. Six years later, the same people have grown jealous of his rise on his career front, and some even start to think that he’s no ordinary man but a mastermind criminal. A good chunk of the first half is spent on Rambabu and his family along with some new characters – it’s only in the last 45 minutes that Drushyam 2 starts to get extremely serious. The film gets unbelievably complex and gripping towards the end. For those who’ve watched the sequel in Malayalam, the Telugu version might feel very ordinary and bland. 

Also read: Maanaadu movie review: Silambarasan TR’s film is highly enjoyable, accessible time-loop thriller

The only major grouse with Drushyam 2 is Venkatesh’s performance which can never match the magic that was created by Mohanlal. Venkatesh is generally a very good actor and has many memorable roles to his filmography, and some that nobody else could’ve played. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Rambabu, which Mohanlal played far more convincingly. 

Drushyam 2 could’ve made minor changes to bring some originality into the narrative. It’s a little disappointing that the film plays it safe by giving the narrative the same treatment. Nevertheless, it’s a sequel that can still surprise viewers who are watching for the first time.

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