BOTTOM LINE
Requires oodles of patience
CENSOR
“U” certified, 158 mins.
OUR RATING
What is “Drishyam” about?
Drishyam is the story of a common man Rambabu( Venkatesh) with a family. He leads a normal happy life without any problem but all that peace of their life is disturbed by an incident. What is the incident and how Rambabu overcomes it is what the film is about.
How is performance by Venkatesh?
Venkatesh is a pro when it comes to playing roles of this kind. He has once again shown how well he can perform in these parts. The actor lends the character with perfect dignity and authenticity when his past repertoire. As a result one easily connects with the film and therefore with the overall proceedings which is centered around him.
Direction by Sripriya?
Sripriya as a director just about passes muster with the film. She could have done a lot but mostly she has remained faithful to the original. Most of the film is made as it is with little change to the original. All she has to do for the film is execute all the scenes as per schedule. Even in that aspect the narration progresses as if going through motions which is a failure on her part.
How is Meena, Nadiya and other artists performance?
Meena who is seen after a long time in Telugu cinema is returning with a respectable character. She has nothing much to do performance wise but together with Venkatesh she still shows some chemistry that is found lacking with heroines of today’s. The actors playing the daughter characters in the film too have been well chosen and they do their part accordingly. Nadiya seems to have walked out from sets of her previous films. Naresh is his usual self. Ravi Kale usually seen in RGV films has an interesting character that registers. Comedian Sapthagiri is okay.
How is Sharath’s Music and other departments ?
Music is weak by Shareth. The background score is fine. Cinematography is substandard considering the scope the film. Editing should have been tighter. Production values are okay.
Highlights?
Venkatesh performance
Story & Screenplay
Casting
Climax
Drawbacks?
Flat narration
First half till pre interval
Interrogation scenes
What about the box office performance of the film?
The film owning to lack of buzz is pretty clearly going to have a low opening. The real question then is can the film survive on the word of mouth, which is most likely to be positive. In an earlier age Venkatesh would have surely pulled this off but the way he has lost it at box office in the past few years one is surely doubtful.
How is compared to original?
The film is a faithful remake of the original. The problem here is the same one we have with the original. First half of the film is extremely slow which might be okay on a home viewing or for a different audience but in Telugu it ought to be fast paced as people start feeling restless. The second half in comparison is better as it more or less a suspense drama where the screenplay one way or the other engages us. Overall this suspense elements is what makes the film watchable in Telugu version.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, the second half.
Will you recommend it?
Yes but only to people with lots of patience.
OUR RATING
Reviewed by Siddhartha from special premiere
