I hadn’t seen a taut thriller movie in a while and Drishyam fit that definition perfectly. Originally made in Malayalam by Jeethu Joseph and released in 2013, Drishyam (Visual) has now been remade in 4 other Indian languages, very recently in Tamil as Papanasam with Kamal Haasan and Gautami. The Hindi version which I thoroughly enjoyed has been directed by Nishikant Kamat whose earlier works I have enjoyed watching include his Marathi ventures the critically acclaimed Dombivli Fast (2005), and action drama Lai Bhari (2014), his Hindi action thriller Force (2011) with John Abraham, and Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008), a story about 5 characters in Mumbai and how their lives are affected by the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, which also won multiple Filmfare Awards.
A happy family in a serene Goan village, which includes the father (Vijay Salgaonkar/Ajay Devgn) running a small cable TV business called Mirage Cable Network, his simple, homely wife (Nandini/Shriya Saran) fondly looking after their two daughters, the older Anju, and the younger Annu. Apart from his lovely family Vijay has friends who vouch for his unblemished character, and he loves to watch all kinds of movies — you could see him glued to the TV set in his office all day and night, while his dedicated associate (José/Prathamesh Parab) goes around the small hamlet settling business. Then quite suddenly an incident occurs one stormy night and knocks the family into gloom and doom. It surrounds the bunch of happy campers into an unrealistic scenario with no sign of an escape from the inevitable. What happens next can only be described as an odyssey of plots and sub-plots and mysteries as Vijay goes from pillar to post to conceive a maze of mysteries throwing the police detectives, even the agile Inspector General Meera Deshmukh (another great portrayal by Tabu) in a tizzy, despite having an undoubted notion about the family’s undeniable involvement in the gory incident the police are sadly reduced to a gaping spectators! Under Vijay’s astute stewardship and shrewdness the family teams up to support the cause and overcome, what seems like an insurmountable challenge. But hang-on! It’s just when you think the movie is done and the cast has met its desired outcome, that the spine chilling climactic end is waiting to shock and raise your eyebrows even further. I can’t stop applauding the producers who have ensured the movie’s plot isn’t lost to the audience as it meanders from one sequence to the other ever so tightly, the sequences make you perch at the edge of your chairs, and if there was one movie where good music is used sparingly to provide relief from the ongoing tense drama, it’s Drishyam. It’s a brilliant plot, a brilliantly shot movie, and a must-see for movie lovers.
