This Mohanlal suspense drama may well go down as yet another modern day classic, raves Joginder Tuteja.
You will probably hear a lot about an 'alternate climax' in the days and weeks to come.
After all, it makes such a strong point in Drishyam 2 that it would be difficult to escape from it for a long time.
Revealing more than this would be a spoiler but I have to admit that like its precursor, Drishyam 2 also has a climax that no one can see coming.
Director Jeethu Joseph follows the same template in the sequel as in the original.
He takes his time to set up the base of the film, and then set up a tense atmosphere. But the last 30-40 minutes lend such a super strong impact that it may force you to watch the film all over again.
This is a true sequel to Drishyam and is, in fact, the first ever suspense thriller to move from the first to the second part with a seamless ease.
Mohanlal, after escaping from getting caught by the police in the first part, has now moved ahead in life.
From being a humble cable TV operator, he is now an owner of a single screen theatre, where he keenly awaits the release of the next Mammooty blockbuster.
Meanwhile, his daughters Ansiba and Esther Anil have grown up, but they are still scared.
Every siren in the distance reminds them of the crime that they had committed many years back, but it is the man of the house who tries to keep them all together.
There is a new cop in town and he believes that with the right investigation, he can nab the family and bring them to justice.
Though the parents of the boy who was murdered in the first part of the film, Asha Sharath and Siddique, have different viewpoints around this, the police are still on the hunt and try different means to find the truth, and most importantly, the missing body.
As for Mohanlal though, he seems to have turned rather casual after being untouched for all these years and even though many, including his new neighbours, believe that he had committed the crime, he passes his time in drinking, staying away from his home for long periods of time, and living his passion to turn into a film producer.
But the cops are closer to him than what he believes, and this is what makes Drishyam 2 exciting.
But there are a couple of things that could have been better.
Firstly, the makers have assumed that the first part has been seen by one and all.
Yes, a recap may have been an overkill but somehow the genesis of the first part could have been better integrated into the narrative.
Secondly, there are a lot of unnecessary scenes in the first half of the film which makes various portions of the first 40-50 minutes boring.
For example, the camaraderie between the four family members, including Mohanlal's wife Meena, doesn't quite make the cut.
Then there is this extended sequence about the younger daughter bringing her friends home and that has no value addition to the plot.
Even the scenes at the favourite tea and idli joint are way too many, and without much impact.
Moreover, there is an important character in the film who returns from jail, but it is so abruptly placed in the film that as an audience, you wonder if you had missed something in the first part. Not just that, this character has a stretched back story too which makes no contribution to the film.
If these parts were left out, Drishyam 2 could have been much crisper by 30 minutes at least.
On the other hand though, there are several scenes and characters from the first two hours that start making so much sense in the last 30 minutes.
One has to credit the writer and the director for throwing so many red herrings into the plot, which end up teasing the audiences as the film proceeds ahead.
The last 20 minutes of the film are so intelligent that you bow to the entire team for making Drishyam 2 such a striking piece of cinema.
With a shorter first half and removal of unnecessary scenes, this Mohanlal suspense drama may well go down as yet another modern day classic.
Drishyam 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
