Drishyam 3
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Haasan, Esther Anil
Rating: ★★
It has been more than a decade since Jeethu Joseph first introduced us to Georgekutty (Mohanlal), a movie-obsessed cable operator who will do anything to protect his family. Years might have passed since his elder daughter, Anju (Ansiba Hassan), was blackmailed and had killed an IG’s son, Varun (Roshan Basheer), but Georgekutty is still on his toes. The issue? Drishyam 3 had the potential to tell a poignant story of a father who is slowly unravelled by his paranoia. It’s unfortunate that Jeethu’s idea doesn’t translate into an engaging film.
Drishyam 3 story
Georgekutty (Mohanlal) leads an idyllic life with his wife, Rani (Meena), and their now-grown daughters, Anju (Ansiba) and Anu (Esther Anil). After everything they have been through, the patriarch just wants a semblance of normalcy for his family. The movie he produced, Drishyam, is a massive hit, and he now wants Anju married off so she can move on with her life. They lead a comfortable life, and Georgekutty has succeeded in safeguarding his family. Though, has he? After a reporter's renewed interest in the case, one thing leads to another, and everything he built is threatened yet again.
Drishyam 3 review
If Georgekutty was desperate and defensive in Drishyam (2013) and Drishyam 2 (2021), Drishyam 3 sees him paranoid, constantly looking over his shoulder and fearful. On the surface, he’s now a successful producer with a nice house and a family that has put a painful past behind them. But beneath it all is bubbling not just his guilt but dread that his family might find out how far he’s willing to go to protect them. Georgekutty is not the hero everyone makes him out to be; he’s a nightmare. Unfortunately, while all this sounds interesting on paper, Jeethu fails at bringing coherence.
Drishyam 3 takes its own sweet time to get into the thick of things. But by the time it does, with a twist reveal before the interval, you’re not as surprised. The film spends ample time on the banality of life – will Anju find a perfect suitor, will Anu be able to attend the college she dreams of, will Georgekutty’s maiden film become a hit, and will Rani finally have some peace and quiet in the house? But through it all, you just know things are about to take a turn for the worse. Georgekutty has made numerous enemies along the way while safeguarding his family, and it’s naive to assume they will leave him alone.
{{/usCountry}}Drishyam 3 takes its own sweet time to get into the thick of things. But by the time it does, with a twist reveal before the interval, you’re not as surprised. The film spends ample time on the banality of life – will Anju find a perfect suitor, will Anu be able to attend the college she dreams of, will Georgekutty’s maiden film become a hit, and will Rani finally have some peace and quiet in the house? But through it all, you just know things are about to take a turn for the worse. Georgekutty has made numerous enemies along the way while safeguarding his family, and it’s naive to assume they will leave him alone.
{{/usCountry}}How the ‘twists’ play out
The main draw of the Drishyam franchise has always been its twists, no matter how corny or genius you think they are. In Drishyam 3, Jeethu crams them all into the third act, and they aren’t all that good to begin with. Old foes come back with a vengeance, and somebody close to Georgekutty backstabs him, but all this is to be expected. Unfortunately, the director lets all this play out like something meant to pull the rug out from under you and Georgekutty.
But how can that be possible when the protagonist’s mind never slips enough to make a mistake? And even when it does, there’s no time to breathe or for consequences to play out before he’s projected as a hero again. Even as Georgekutty verbally says he’s scared of his actions catching up to him, he can’t help but dig a deeper hole for himself and his family. When something inconceivable happens, and the character crosses a line, you think he has learned his lesson. He hasn’t.
In conclusion
Drishyam 3’s focus is not on thrilling you with twists and turns, but on spotlighting Georgekutty and the fallout of his decisions. This makes it the least engaging film in the franchise because Jeethu never lets him falter, even when he resorts to violence.
Unfortunately, by the end of the third film, you also almost forget why all this began. How a woman was forced to fight back when violated, and a father decided to protect her at any cost. It’s an odd choice on Jeethu’s part to give a chunkier role than the first two parts to Siddique, who has been accused of sexual abuse in real life, to undermine it all with his character, Prabhakar.
Drishyam 3 ends with a hint that this is not the end of Georgekutty and his woes. But how long can he keep it up?
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