Drishyam: Visuals can be deceiving

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 I had heard about Drishyam, and how awesome it is, for a few years now but I got an opportunity to watch it only recently. It is a 2013 Malayalam movie which takes us through the travails of a middle class family that gets entangled in an unexpected event involving the son of the Inspector General of police. The setting is a picturesque town in Kerala, where everyone knows each other. It is a small community with a police station and a few small businesses. Trailer.

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The movie starts off slowly, getting us familiar with the family of 4, and the other folks in town. There is a small hotel where people meet up and socialize over tea and snacks. Mohanlal (as George Kutty) is well - respected but it looks like everyone is curious about him, courtesy the event under question. He  is crazy about movies. He stays overnight in his cable - Tv business office to watch movies. He is a practical person and despite not being highly educated, he is street - smart. Being a keen observer he learns to adapt to his changing circumstances by implementing what he has learnt from the movies. The first half proceeds in this way, and we see some frames which we can't understand now, but they resume importance later in the story. At the 1 - hour mark, the mood of the movie changes completely. All the threads what were introduced till now begin to get woven together to form the storyline and the tense second - half where we're glued to out seats each second.

Rani George (as Meena), Asha Sharath (as IG Geetha), Anisba (as Anju), Esther Anil (as Anu), Kalabhavan Shajohn (as constable Sahadevan) are the other major characters. I guess this was the first Mohanlal movie which I watched, and I understand why he is so famous. His acting is flawless and very natural. Rani George's expressions are so authentic and refreshing. Asha Sharath is compelling as the IG looking for her lost son. 

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We watched this movie multiple times but the beauty was that each viewing felt as riveting as the first one. It is a cat and mouse game where you feel that the cops are closing in and fear about the fate of this family. At each step of the plot there is a new twist and you wonder how long will the family's luck will last. Even though you know the story, the repeat viewings were as dramatic as the first one. I feel there might be only a handful of movies with this quality.

The only part I was not ok with this movie was when it entered misogynistic territory. 

The reasons why you should watch this movie are the tight storyline and the natural acting. 

What are your thoughts about this movie?

(Thanks, Krips, for the insights and for proofreading ;) )


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