Cast: Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu, Akshaye Khanna

Director: Abhishek Pathak

Ajay Devgn’s sequel to Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam original is a well executed intelligent movie .

Very logically plotted, the movie does a good job holding the audience captive from scene one till the end. Almost seven years after Vijay Salgaocar (Ajay Devgn) sold his riveting story to us, the modest cable operator’s take on the alleged murder of Sameer Deshmukh, son of top cop Meera Deshmukh (Tabu), is not as foolproof as it sounded by the end of the first part, in which he and his family were saved from the might of the system. Now, a new officer (Akshaye Khanna) in town has planted his sources around the Salgaocar family to get to the bottom of the truth.

Abhishek Pathak’s source material is so engaging that there is no chance for him to lead it anywhere but to its fruition. Meera can’t get over the fact that Vijay outmanoeuvred her years of experience in the police. More importantly, it is the mother in her that propels her to seek revenge on a father who doesn’t see beyond the safety of his family. In a society that celebrates poetic justice more than courtroom judgment, it is a potent recipe, and Jeethu Joseph milks it well.

Akshaye Khanna, in his inimitable style creates a deep impact of his character in just a few scenes. Few actors could convey a sense of desperation and authority in one frame as Akshaye does. His performance is laced with some sharp one-liners (dialogues by Aamil Keeyan Khan) and a suave finesse of delivery.

No comparison with Mohanlal, but Ajay Devgn comes through in his understated performance as Vijay Salgaonkar as usual in a role that expects him to tone down his star power.

Rajat Kapoor and Tabu are brilliant and obviously know how to carry sequel characters with ease and beauty.

Another great part to watch in Drishyam 2 is the performances of two great television soap stars who make their hindi cinema debut – Ishita Datta and Siddharth Bodke.

The movie is short and sweet with the interval popping up just less than an hour into the story. There are terse moments handled expertly with a corresponding BG score. No big songs to write home about. Overall a terse, tight story with good treatment.

There are scenes in which you see actors like Rajat Kapoor, Tabu, Akshaye Khanna and Devgn huddles on your frame together and you are in awe of the collective power of these brilliant actors on one screen.

Drishyam 2 is all of that and more.