Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Kamlesh Sawant
Direction: Nishikant Kamat
Rating: ****
The best thing about Nishikant Kamat’s ‘Drishyam’ is that he doesn’t try to tamper with an almost flawless plot. He makes no attempt to insert perfunctory elements into the narrative just to stake a claim at adding a twist to the tale. And yet, he makes the film immensely watchable.
That is saying a lot. ‘Drishyam’ is a thriller that a lot of people have either watched or already read about and for a director to be able to engage the audience for 163 minutes is no mean feat. And, even if you haven’t watched or heard about this film – this is a story, where the thrill lies not in finding out the next victim or the murderer but in waiting patiently for the revelation – how will they manage to cover up a murder? What are the odds that they will get away with it?
We are constantly trying to decipher what is going on in our protagonist’s mind. As the plot unravels you try to think about all the murder mysteries you have watched – which plot is unraveling in our hero’s mind? Does he have it in him to wipe away the proof? Is he too prepared? And it is all the more intimidating that he is against the police department – they’re infinitely more capable of shredding his premise, being anal about every proof he provides, being skeptical about all the probable witnesses in the case.
Ajay Devgn had said in an interview before the film’s release that he hadn’t watched Mohanlal in the Malayalam ‘Drishyam’ because he didn’t want to get influenced by his portrayal. And that’s the best preparation he could’ve done for his part. Ajay essays an understated role – a fry cry from the impetuous and boisterous Bajirao Singham avatar – he almost underplays his bit.
Kamlesh Sawant, playing the unscrupulous and vengeful police officer Gaitonde is the perfect foil. He pitches a perfect performance – it’s difficult not to find him loathsome, he is so perfect as the corrupt, exploitative, brutal bad cop.
But the hero of this tale is Tabu – Inspector General Meera Deshmukh. Right from her entry where you see her silhouette emerges from the darkness in the interrogation room where she is ruthless with her captives. To the desperation you can sense in her voice when all witness accounts are consistent, even though she knows there is something amiss in their declaration.
Tabu is at once, enraged, vengeful and aggrieved. One of the most memorable moments in the film is when you see her begging for closure - she hardly has dialogue, she just breaks down in her husband’s arms and you see her pale fingers clutch his arm. It stays with you – she might have done all the wrong things but at the end of the day, she is a mother who has lost her son.
It’s these elements and very compelling storytelling that make ‘Drishyam’ a must watch. I had watched the Malayalam version and though I knew the every twist in the tale, I found myself as intrigued as the rest of the audience.
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