Cast: Venkatesh, Meena, Ravi Kale, Kruthika Jayakumar, Chalapathi Rao and Chaitanya
Director: Sri Priya
Rating: Three and a half star
Hyderabad: Drushyam, a Telugu remake of the Malayalam film with the same name, stars Venkatesh and Meena who are paired together again after sixteen years. The Malayalam version was a phenomenal success.
The film’s story is quite unusual when compared to the stereotypical Telugu films that we see. It is a family story but with a mystery. The story calls for some brilliant acting and the cast has done justice to their roles. The film has been directed by yesteryear actress Sri Priya.
Rambabu (Venkatesh), belongs to a middle class family and runs a cable network in a village near Vizianagaram. Rambabu’s life revolves around his family comprising his wife Jyothi (Meena) and their two daughters. The children’s biggest wish is to spend a day in Vizianagaram. Rambabu loves watching films and often borrows ideas from them.
The family’s happy, uncomplicated life gets an unexpected jolt due to an incident involving a stranger. The family is unnerved by the incident and wants an escape from it. However, that doesn’t seem easy. Rambabu prepares his family to face whatever situations may arise. He bails the family out by being smart and clever.
This film is a not a regular song, dance and action entertainer. It is completely a screenplay-based film where every character plays an important role. The story showcases family bonding and also takes one on a thrilling ride.
Interesting twists and turns in the story ensure that the suspense continues till the end. Though it’s a remake, credit should go to the director Sri Priya for not disturbing the original theme and maintaining the tempo of the narrative till the end.
Venkatesh is apt as Rambabu and a doting father. He has played his character perfectly proving that he is a great choice for sentimental roles and family dramas. This might easily go on to become one of his best performances in recent times. Meena as Venkatesh’s wife supports him well. The two kids, Kruthika and Ester, have delivered amazing performances. The characters are so well played that they appear to be a real family. Ravi Kale delivers as per expectations. Nadhia plays the super cop with ease and she steals the show in the second half with her exceptional performance.
The scenes where Venkatesh prepares the kids to face upcoming challenges and how they behave when the police questions them have come out very well, and are easily the best scenes in the film. The film’s second half is very interesting and exciting. How Venkatesh gets ideas from the films he watches is also shown well.
Technically, the film is good and has captured some good locations near Araku and Vizianagaram.
However, there are a few negative points too. The initial part of the film drags on and it takes time to establish the story. The romantic scenes between Venkatesh and Meena look forced and artificial. These scenes were rather unnecessary. If you watch the Malayalam version first, then you may not enjoy this one.
Despite its shortcomings, Drushyam is a must watch for people who are looking for a different type of Telugu film.
