Esther Anil

123telugu.com Rating : 3.5/5

Starring : Mohanlal, Meena, Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy, Siddique, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil and others

Director : Jeethu Joseph

Producer : Anthony Perumbavoor

Music Director : Anil Johnson

Cinematography : Satheesh Kurup

Editor : V.S. Vinayak

Drishyam 2 – The Resumption is a sequel to Mollywood stalwart Mohanlal and director Jeethu Joseph’s acclaimed 2013 suspense thriller, Drishyam. The film skipped its theatrical release due to the lockdown and had a direct OTT premiere on Amazon Prime Video on February 19. Let’s see if the sequel succeeds in living up to the high expectations set after its predecessor’s mega success.

Story :

As the tagline ‘The Resumption’ suggests, Drishyam 2 revisits the constant emotional turmoil and fear the film’s protagonist Georgekutty (Mohanlal), his wife Rani (Meena) and daughters Anju (Ansiba Hassan) and Anu (Esther Anil) have been going through for the last 6 years, after ‘murdering’ the IG’s (Asha Sarath) son and cleverly escaping the police ordeal in the first part.

While the fear of their well-kept secret being ‘unearthed’ by the cops is still in tact in the Kuttys’ lives, a few things did change in the past 6 years. Georgekutty’s house now has a slightly more expensive interiors and he drives a Ford SUV. Also, he has taken his passion for movies to the next level, by setting up a theater. There’s more, Georgekutty is also in plans to produce a film with a story he conceived, despite his wife being anxious about the family’s depleting financial resources and her husband’s alcoholism.

On the other hand, the IG and her husband (Siddique) are settled in the USA. They occasionally visit the village in hope of finding their son Varun’s remains so that they could complete the final rituals and bid him a proper farewell. And the cops, led by the new IG (Murali Gopy), are still probing the case stealthily.

Will the relentless cops finally ‘dig up’ Varun’s body and thus Georgekutty’s fate? Will the Kuttys’ and the IG’s families find a conclusion to their turmoil? You will have to watch the movie to find out how the mystery unfolds.

Plus Points :

Mohanlal once again steals the show with his stellar performance as Georgekutty. He masterfully displays the protagonist’s desperation and strong resolve to protect his wife and daughters leaving no stone unturned. Meena is quite good as the gullible and emotionally distressed wife who is in a never ending dilemma of her family’s fate. Ansiba and Esther as the young girls haunted by their past deliver impressive performances.

Murali Gopy as the new IG, who vows to end Georgekutty’s long escape from the truth, shines in his role. Rest of the actors are equally good and drive the narrative seamlessly. The various tricks the IG and his team of cops come up with to nab Georgekutty and his family and put a full stop to Georgekutty’s perfectly executed plans to evade the law and order are the major highlights of Drishyam 2.

Minus Points :

Just like Drishyam, the sequel too takes its own sweet time to delve into the main drama. Too much time has been spent on establishing the Kuttys’ ‘slightly changed’ lifestyle. Barring this, Drishyam 2 hardly has anything going against it.

Technical Aspects :

Writer-director Jeethu Joseph once again lives up to his reputation of being one of the best directors of thrillers in India. He smartly plants certain elements and introduces new characters in the narrative to get the audiences hooked to this slow-burn, suspenseful drama. The final act, in which he links Georgekutty’s passion for movies and how he etches a perfect masterplan (once again) to save himself and his family, makes Drishyam 2 a gratifying experience.

Anil Johnson’s background score goes well with the movie’s flow, be it in the scenes showing the Kuttys’ pleasant family scenes or their emotional turmoil. Satheesh Kurup’s cinematography is pretty neat and adequate. Editor Vinayak’s scissors should have been sharper in the first act, as a lot of time is consumed while establishing the family, which the audiences knew very well already. The production values are decent for this village-based suspense thriller.

Verdict :

Without an iota of doubt, Drishyam 2 is one of the best sequels ever made in Indian Cinema. The Mohanlal-Jeethu Joseph duo has done it yet again and in style. Together, they immerse the audience into the world of Georgekutty and his secret, eventually treating them to a finely crafted final act that is sure to leave the audiences thrilled. In the end, one can’t help but feel that Drishyam 2 is one film that rightfully deserved a theatrical release. You will have a good time checking out this emotional suspense thriller this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating : 3.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Version

Release date : Aug 14th, 2020

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

Starring : Naina Ganguly, Esther Anil, Chaitanya Krishna

Director : Teja Marni

Johaar is a film that has been promoted a lot in the last few days. The film has finally hit the small screens today and is available on AHA. Let’s now see how it is.

Story :

The film has five different stories. A young CM(Krishna Chaitanya) wants to build a massive statue in memory of his late dad to gain public sympathy. On the other hand a young athlete(Naina Ganguly), a poor farmer(Eeswari Rao), a young girl(Esther), and an old man(Subhalekha Sudhakar) who runs an orphanage get effected into this whole story badly. How their lives get affected in such a political move forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points

One of the biggest plus points of the film is its emotions. They are set in the right place as the emotional angle works well till the end of the film. The four stories are nicely linked into the main story and the casting is spot on. The social message showcased in the film is very good.

Firstly, Chaitanya Krishna gets a meaty role and is superb as the shrewd and cunning politician. He performs well and brings a lot of depth to the proceedings. Veteran actor Subhalekha Sudhakar and Eswari Rao do justice to their roles and fill the screen with their emotional performances. New heroine, Esther is also neat in her role.

The surprise package was Naina Ganguly. The actress who is always seen in glamorous roles makes a U-Turn and does her athlete’s role perfectly. Be it her body language, dialogue delivery, and performance, Naina has done a very good job. The production values of the film are top-notch as the film is aided by superb camerawork. The locations chosen are authentic and the framework set by director is on point.

Minus Points

After a very good first half, things become a bit slow. Though the emotions are on point, the pace drops a bit and scenes become quite predictable for the audience. The film is a direct attack on various governments as to how politicians in power neglect the common man’s needs. This angle might not go well for a section of the audience.

As the director takes good time to establish the stories, in the beginning, he does not have much time to bring in the impact of the so-called major twists in the film. They are a bit rushed in the setup.

Technical Aspects

Credit should go to the director Teja Marni as his casting is amazing. He extracts solid performances from his cast as not one actor hams or looks forced. He is a good talent and has a grip on emotions and shot-making which is pretty impressive. The songs nicely fit into the narrative and the dialogues are quite meaningful.

The production design of the film is amazing and the film has a very sober and soothing effect on the audience because of the camerawork and BGM. The director’s idea of showcasing his message of how the government should help the public and not themselves has nicely been set into the narrative.

Verdict :

On the whole, Johaar is an emotional drama that has a superb premise. It is a direct satire on various political parties as to how they ignore public welfare and think of only their personal agendas. This concept has nicely been set through various stories in the film. Barring the slow pace and a bit predictable second half, this film ends as a decent watch for its good message and solid performances.

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

OTT Review : Drishyam 2 – A gratifying conclusion ( Malayalam )

Review : Johaar – Telugu film on AHA