Drishyam The Conclusion has arrived and, as the name suggests, it is the final chapter in the series that has created a cult following. Thankfully, the film lives up to the expectations and brings the franchise to a satisfying conclusion.
The story of the movie: Six months after the events of Drishyam 2, Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn), wife Nandni (Shriya Saran), Anju (Ishita Dutta) and Anu (Mrunal Jadhav) attempt to move on with their lives. Unknown to them, the SP of the Crime Branch, Rajveer Singh Tomar (Jaideep Ahlawat), has reopened the case. Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) and her husband Mahesh (Rajat Kapoor) are, of course, on his side. Rajveer tries to tackle the case differently and uses all the grey cells in his brain to figure out how to nab Vijay this time in a manner from which he can’t escape.
Drishyam The Conclusion begins with a much-needed prologue that helps viewers recap the events of Parts 1 and 2. The first 15 minutes are dramatic. In fact, drama is the biggest strength of the makers and writers. Every scene is highly engaging and captivating. Hence, despite the runtime of 150 minutes, one doesn’t even realize where the time flew, clearly demonstrating the power of the writing and direction. The intermission point is terrific, while the pre-climax and climax take the film to dizzying heights. Expect lots of claps and hoots in the last 20 minutes.
On the flipside, the film is riddled with certain cinematic liberties. It gets a bit difficult to digest how some of the things are pulled off. Thankfully, they are presented in such a manner that one won’t mind much. Secondly, though the film ends properly, one still wishes that the makers had revealed what happened to certain characters and what they would do next in life.
Speaking of performances, Ajay Devgn is in good form. He has minimal dialogues and his eyes do a lot of the talking, and it works well. Jaideep Ahlawat dominates the first half. He brings a lot of swag and even a bit of menace to his role and hence emerges as a great arch-nemesis to Vijay Salgaonkar. Tabu, as always, is dependable, and the same goes for Rajat Kapoor. Tabu, especially, is superb in the beginning. Prakash Raj (Indrajit Shetty) has a late entry but makes up for it with his bravura performance. Shriya Saran gets limited scope initially but impresses in the post-interval portions. Ishita Dutta and Mrunal Jadhav are fair. Kamlesh Sawant (Gaitonde) is the most entertaining actor in the ensemble and provides a lot of laughter. Ajeet Singh Pallawat (Raghu Nayak) and Ramchandra Singh (Savio) lend able support. Others who do well are Samvedna Suwalka (Gayatri Mohan, advocate), Akashdeep Sabir (Judge Mathews) and Sanjay Dadhich (Paolo).
None of the few songs in the film manages to register. Amar Mohile‘s background score adds to the tension. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary‘s cinematography is spectacular, especially the exterior long shots of Goa. Priya Suhass‘ production design is classy yet realistic, while Tanya Oak‘s costumes are straight out of life. Sandeep Francis‘ editing is not hurried yet very captivating.
Abhishek Pathak‘s story is intelligent. Most importantly, it is very different from the Malayalam film Drishyam 3. Aamil Keeyan Khan, Abhishek Pathak and Parveez Shaikh‘s screenplay is peppered with strong, dramatic and confrontational scenes that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, as mentioned earlier, it has some unconvincing moments. Aamil Keeyan Khan‘s dialogues are terrific. The one-liners are simple yet sharp.
Abhishek Pathak‘s direction is praiseworthy. He tells the story in a no-nonsense fashion and yet manages to make it commercial. The new characters, like Rajveer Singh Tomar and Indrajit Shetty, bring a lot of entertainment to the tale and yet get smoothly woven into the Drishyam world. He also deserves kudos because, even while going back and forth, he doesn’t let the film get too confusing.
On the whole, Drishyam The Conclusion is a paisa-vasool entertainer and a fitting finale to one of the most loved series. Don’t miss!
My rating – **** out of 5!