'Drishyam 2' stars Mohanlal, Meena, Esther Anil and Ansiba. IMDb
'Drishyam 2' stars Mohanlal, Meena, Esther Anil and Ansiba. IMDb
'Drishyam 2' stars Mohanlal, Meena, Esther Anil and Ansiba. IMDb
'Drishyam 2' stars Mohanlal, Meena, Esther Anil and Ansiba. IMDb

'Drishyam 2': Thriller starring Mohanlal neatly ties up all loose ends

Jeetu Joseph's sequel is impactful without fancy locales, graphics or music

Aarti Jhurani
Aarti Jhurani
Abu Dhabi

February 20, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic
Drishyam 2

Directed by: Jeethu Joseph

Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy

Rating: 4 stars

There is a reason why the Malayalam-language film Drishyam, released in 2013, was remade in four Indian languages – Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil, as well as in Sinhalese and Mandarin. An intelligent and gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, it follows the trials and tribulations of a family accused of murdering a teenage boy.

In the sequel, Mohanlal reprises his role as patriarch George Kutty, as do Meena who plays his wife, Rani, Ansiba who plays his oldest daughter Anju and Esther Anil who plays his youngest, Anu. The film is set six years after the events in Drishyam (a must-watch before you dive into the sequel) and shows George as a successful businessman who owns a movie theatre and is working on making his own film.

The first hour of the film moves slowly as it focuses mostly on the repercussions the events of the first film had on the family, and how the elder daughter now suffers from epilepsy and the women in the house live in constant fear of the police. Rani's only confidant is her neighbour of two years, whom she trusts and expresses her fears to, as George dismisses her and refuses to speak of the murder.

There are also a lot of rumours going about town about the events that took place on the night of the murder, with each person narrating their own version. At this point, just when you think director Jeetu Joseph has failed to live up to the expectations of the original film, the twists start coming in and interest builds up again.

Director Jeethu Joseph on the set of 'Drishyam 2'. IMDb
Director Jeethu Joseph on the set of 'Drishyam 2'. IMDb

The new Inspector General in town, Thomas Bastin (Murali Gopy), is intent on reinvestigating the case, ensuring the killers are convicted. He leaves no stone unturned (literally) and with his team of shadow officers is able to gather enough evidence against the family.

Without giving much away, watch this film for the sheer brilliance of Joseph's writing and direction. Mohanlal is flawless in his portrayal of the protective patriarch, and often does not even need to say anything to make an impact.

Drishyam 2 is about two and a half hours long, and while the first hour does feel a bit cumbersome, the rest of the film more than makes up for it and does so brilliantly.

Set in a small town in Kerala, India, this thriller requires no fancy locales, graphics or music to be powerful.

Drishyam 2 is a Malayalam-language film (with English subtitles) and is available to stream on Amazon Prime

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How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

On Women's Day
Drishyam 2

Directed by: Jeethu Joseph

Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy

Rating: 4 stars

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