Director and writer Jeetu Joseph takes a big risk with the characterization of Mohanlal’s George Kuttey. Unlike the first two instalments the man is less sure, and the vulnerabilities are layed bare. The emotional guilt of a burdened man gives Drishyam 3 some of its best moments. Mohanlal as expected embodies the weariness giving an immersive performance. Siddiqui as the other family man also makes his presence amply felt
Starcast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hasan, Esther Anil, Siddiqui, Murali Gopy, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Asha Sarath and others
Genre: Crime thriller/drama
Writer and director: Jeetu Joseph
Music: Anil Joshon
Cinematography: Satheesh Kurup
Producer: Anthony Perumbuvoor
Production Company: Aashirvad Cinemas
Running time: 2 hours and 39 minutes
Drishyam 3 begins with a brief information on what happened in the first two parts. How George Kuttey’s peaceful life gets disrupted with the entry of a police officer son. A necessary crime which follows and George successfully dogging the law two consecutive times. The third part begins with George Kuttey settling down as a successful film producer. The dust seems to have finally settled down with Ansiba Hasan’s Anju recovering from psychological trauma. However underneath the happy family dynamics there is a certain fear on old skeletons surfacing again especially the central protagonist. How the past catches up with the return of Siddiqui’s Prabhakar with some additional foes forms the main core of Drishyam 3.
A strong aspect of Drishyam 3 are the lived in family dynamics. Like the first two installments Jeetu Joseph takes his own sweet time in setting up the proceedings. For some the slow pace may feel cumbersome, still this is necessary in the larger scheme of things. A special mention must be of how Esther Anil as the younger one has been used. Esther gets a significant amount of screen time more than holding her own opposite Mohanlal and Meena. Whether it’s mocking the mother on double standards or commenting on inter caste marriages the actress is a delight to watch.
Mention must also be made of Meena’s conversations with Mohanlal. The husband-and-wife warmth has come out in a solid manner. Two scenes in particular deserve a mention. One is Rani telling George Kutty on how he should let his guard down somewhat and let the daughter’s fly. Another one involves George Kutty getting emotionally disturbed when a past incident catches up. She tries to soothe him down by saying that he shouldn’t be too hard on himself.
As already mentioned Jeetu Joseph has taken a big risk with the characterization of Mohanlal. This both a plus and a minus depending on how the viewers take it. But the director deserves appreciation for making George Kutty more vulnerable. For a significant chunk of the movie Mohanlal is shown to be anxious particularly the interval block. There is an important conversation too where George Kutty lays bare his emotional state of mind. In this portion he explicitly talks about not knowing from where the attack will come. It is fantastic to see Mohanlal going all guns blazing at this age too. The veteran actor is in splendid form portraying the various emotions in a fantastic manner.
Siddqui as a Prabhakar gets a prominent part in the second half and he makes it count with an arresting act. Yes, it is baffling on how Prabhakar has forgotten the nature of his son’s crime. Having said that Siddqui is first rate in portraying a determined husband who wants to see his partner recover from depression. Asha Sharath has minimal screen time, nevertheless she gives a good account of herself.
Among others Murali Gopy and Kalabhavan are also solid in their respective characters. Murali Gopy plays the part with restraint and a certain wisdom. Whether its cautioning Prabhakar or the dialogue about legal system having more loopholes than solutions the actor makes his presence amply felt. Kalabhavan brings an intimidating physical presence as an old adversary waiting to get his revenge.
A couple of things which don’t work for Drishyam 3 are the subplots of social media and journalism. Both these start of promisingly but go nowhere in the final outcome. Also, the over exposition towards the end with repetitiveness hampers the proceedings. Because of this the culmination doesn’t give you the same high as the previous two installments.
Among the technical departments Satheesh Kurup’s cinematography is of fine standard. He effectively captures the tense moments and the overall emotional suffocation especially off George Kutty. The background score is also effective in building the tension.
Final word: Drishyam 3 is worth watching for those who like emotionally layered thrillers and of course Mohanlal’s fans
