Drishyam 3 Review

Ashwin Ram 

Premise: Mohanlal and family try to forget their bitter old memories, but the past tends to haunt them in different forms as certain unintentionally affected people return to seek revenge. To what extent, Mohanlal goes to save his family forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction: Just like the first two films, the initial hour takes its own sweet time to firm the surface. But do we still organically root for Mohanlal’s family, as he is a successful film producer now, of course he has earned it through hard work. Despite the privileges he has now, we continue to feel bad for the trauma the family has faced over the years. Mohanlal’s subtle way of expressing guilt is also an important reason for us to feel for the characters. Slow-burn first half with a composed flow, there are some writing jumps with respect to the subplots, yet keeping us hopeful that a stage has been set for the incoming intensity, as a crucial character from the first outing is re-introduced in the interval block. The main credibility of Drishyam is how unique it was, which is totally missing here, especially the second half gets into a generic revenge space. The screenplay becomes so repetitive too, the vengeful people keep threatening the witnesses, they disclose the details and inform Mohanlal to be cautious. This happens as a routine several times, making it a tiring watch. There are plenty of small twists presented in frequent intervals, sadly none of them land due to lack of drama. The only segment that works is the climax, particularly the moment at the very end that exhibits the protagonist’s stubborn nature. Jeethu Joseph has got the potential to present a subject, but the writer in him seems to be washed away, such convenient scenes all over, simply to justify what is in the store next. And we are sent out from the cinemas with a lead for a potential fourth part.

Performances: Mohanlal’s finest performance elevates the film, his acting is very important in keeping the drama alive. Meena and the kids have done their part neatly by naturally portraying their roles. Apt casting and the villains have put up a good show as well, however their character writing are so clichéd and dull, their efforts failed to transfer to the screen.

Technicalities:  Absolutely no songs which is an asset for such a genre. The graph of the background score is very balanced with fluctuating properly between highs and lows. Superlative camera work, the cameraman has picked such beautiful earthy locations and has played some magic tricks with lighting as well. The editor has immense scope for trimming which could have toned down the writing faults, instead he has just compiled the shots in a straightforward order as per director’s instructions.

Verdict: Although the second part of Drishyam could not match the epic first instalment, it at least managed to maintain the pride with some sort of credible writing. This one is a bummer that it almost turns out to be a disgrace to the franchise.

DRISHYAM 3 - Sadly it is just a revenge drama with some generic thrill moments!

Rating - 2.5/ 5.