Drishyam

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 31st July, 2015
Time : 163 minutes
Director, Writer : Nishikant Kamat; Co-Writer: Upendra Sidhaye based on an original story by Jeetu Joseph; Music : Vishal Bhardwaj (songs), Sameer Phatarpekar (background score)
Starring : Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Kamlesh Sawant, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, Rishabh Chaddha, Prathamesh Parab



There are two surefire signs that I’ve seen a great movie. One is that I run through the entire plot in my head, asking ‘What would I do if I were in the protagonists place’ and the other is that I write the review almost immediately.

So, at 230am, having just returned from a late night show of Drishyam, with three movies lined up tomorrow morning, here goes…

Ajay Devgn lives in Pendolim, Goa and has been there for many years, running a successful cable TV business. He is a film fanatic and is loved and respected in the community. His lovely family, comprises his wife, Shriya Saran and two daughters, the teenaged Ishita Dutta and the little cutie, Mrunal Jadhav. However, their idyllic life is soon shattered due to no fault of theirs…and they are soon hunted by the police, in particular, the top cop of Goa, Tabu …and even the cops from his local station, who’ve known him since childhood including Kamlesh Sawant, who hates his guts…

It isn’t easy viewing because of the content but incredibly gripping…and you await with bated breath to find out the next twist and turn. There are some fascinating sub-contexts too – much is made of the fact that Ajay is only educated till the fourth standard –while everyone around him, including his wife and the cops chasing him, are more educated. The running battle between Kamlesh and Ajay is fascinating too, a bit more than banter at first, but gets nasty soon enough. And there is a sly sense of humour too – even in the tensest moments (like Tabu’s outburtst when yet another witness says the same thing).

The beautiful surroundings of our favorite holiday state also make for the perfect backdrop to the tension and the drama. And the music, for a change, doesn’t intrude but adds to the atmosphere. Ajay Devgn works better when he is understated, as here. Tabu is fantastic too – balancing tough cop with vulnerable mom extremely well. Shriya was god but overacted just a little, while Ishita and Mrunal were quite good as their daughters. However, it was Rajat Kapoor, as Tabu’s husband, and Kamlesh, who really stole the show with their performances.

It’s rare to find a Hindi film that is close to flawless – there are niggles, little issues here and there, but overall, it just works – its nice and compact, for a change not going off-topic, and getting the mix of emotions, story and facts right. A real cat and mouse game, where for a change, you cant really figure out who exactly is the cat and who is the mouse…