TheReviewMonk
Drishyam backdrop
31 July 2015Hindi163 min

Drishyam

6.438 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 38 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

7.838 ratings
UsersRecommended

User Score · avg of 38 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Vijay Salgaonkar runs a cable TV network in a remote and hilly village of Goa. He lives a happy life with his wife Nandini and two daughters. A 4th grade dropout & an orphan, Vijay has worked his way towards success with his sheer hard-work & street smartness in order to provide for his family who mean the world to him. In a bizarre turn of events; a teenage boy goes missing; he is the son of a headstrong, no-nonsense cop; IG Meera Deshmukh and the Salgaonkar family is the prime suspect. How the family weathers the storm that ensues during the violent investigation forms the rest of the story leading to an unexpected & shocking climax.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Drishyam is broadly positive, with most reviewers finding it a competent and engaging thriller that sustains tension through to its climax. Tabu's performance is the single most consistently praised element across reviews, with several critics noting she outshines the lead, while Ajay Devgn also receives frequent commendation for his intensity. Common criticisms center on the film's excessive runtime and a slow-paced first half, along with concerns about miscasting in supporting roles and the sense that the Hindi version compares unfavorably to the original Malayalam film for those already familiar with it.

38 reviews · 20 positive · 6 mixed

Praised: Tabu's standout, electrifying performanceCriticised: Excessive runtime and slow first half

AI-generated summary of 38 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (38)

Rajeev MasandTop Critic· IBNLive
7.0
"When was the last time you enjoyed a film for its gripping plot, its compelling story? Drishyam, with its refreshingly original screenplay and its many moments of tension, is just that. Kamat's Hindi version pales in comparison to both the original Malayalam film and the Tamil remake, but the plot nevertheless keeps you hooked till the end."
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Raja SenTop Critic· Rediff
5.0
"... several parts of the film work and, for the most part, Drishyam motors along far more efficiently than most Hindi films -- but isn't that too low a bar?"
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Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
5.0
"The film, which stays mostly faithful to the original but has a few inserts, could have been better if it had been tighter. Second half is where the movie and Ajay Devgn-- both take time to get into their groove-- come into their own."
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"There are no loose ends in the plot; every character, every situation is well planned and visualised to perfection. The background score is evocative though a song that served to highlight the trauma of the characters seemed eminently forgettable."
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Subhash K Jha· SKJBollywoodNews
9.0
"Drishyam is the fourth remarkable film this July. The story of an ordinary family under extraordinary stress, Kamat puts his finger on the pulse of the original Malayalam film to convert into into an all-new gripping thriller."
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IndiaGlitz· India Glitz
8.0
"Watch 'Drishyam' to see the actor Ajay Devgn returning to his intensity best in this emotionally packed powerful, faithful, pulse riser, powered by superlative performance that envelopes a relevant message of morality and upbringing."
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Martin D'Souza· Glamsham
8.0
"DRISHYAM is a spot-on crime thriller that has some 'heart-in-your-mouth' moments. It's set up in a made-up village called Pondolim in North Goa. What's satisfying about the entire screenplay is that what Vijay is doing on screen is what you will do for your family. Nothing less; after all, family is all that we have!"
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Bollywood Hungama News Network· Bollywood Hungama
8.0
"...an absolute winner that keeps you hooked completely right till the end. It is definitely a must watch movie this weekend."
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Pinkvilla Team· PinkVilla
8.0
"Drishyam is nifty and is all about the nail-bitingness that edge-of-the-seat stuff are made of."
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Meena Iyer· Times Of India
8.0
"A suspense drama with a nail-biting finish, Drishyam holds the viewer by the eyeballs till its' engaging climax. Ajay, who is the prey here, shines in his role of the protective father. While his family definitely needed to be cast in a more discerning fashion, half a star in this review is reserved for Tabu, who is outstanding as his predator."
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Priyanka Prasad· FilmiBeat
7.0
"If you haven't watched Drishyam in any other language then book your tickets immediately and don't miss out watching this thrilling movie."
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7.0
"... the film raises an important question on what's right and what's wrong. A film that sparks off a debate is such a rarity in Hindi films."
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Rohit Vats· Hindustan Times
7.0
"Drishyam works because it doesn't talk about a hero but a common man. Drishyam works because you feel for every character in the film. Drishyam works because it leaves you stunned. Drishyam works because it keeps you glued to your seat till the last moment. Drishyam works because it's a finely crafted suspense thriller after a really long time. Drishyam works because you thought Indian filmmakers can't make good thrillers. Drishyam works because it shows two different India. Drishyam works because visuals can be deceptive."
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Meeta Kabra· Wogma
7.0
"It is hardly flawless, but it glues you - body and mind alert - to the story. A thing you can only rarely say for a thriller. It is not a visual treat that ought to be watched in the theater, but it is a film which can be appreciated and encouraged for its writing. And of course, no home theater can enhance the thrill like a dark cinema hall"
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Ritika Handoo· Zee News
7.0
"You possibly should not miss this film, because one it has those intense eyes of Ajay Devgn along with realistic performance by Tabu. And if that's not enough, then you have another reason - content surely is the king."
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7.0
"What works against the film is the loud Ramsay-like horror film background music and mediocre performances by most other actors, except Rajat Kapoor and Prathamesh Parab. But do watch this film for Ajay and Tabu's performances and of course, that one-in-a-million story. Content, after all, is the key."
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Shishir Gautam· NowRunning
6.0
"For anyone who has not watched any of the other versions Drishyam would be a welcome addition to the range of cinema that the month of July has sprung out."
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"Drishyam is gripping in parts but is anything but an unblemished humdinger."
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Tushar Joshi· Bollywood Life
6.0
"Drishyam is worth a watch. It has a strong engaging second half that will have you on the edge of your seat. Watch it for some terrific performances from Ajay and Tabu."
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Sushmita Murthy· Deccan Chronicle
6.0
"Drishyam isn't an edge-of-the-seat thriller. In fact, it is one that makes you sit back and think."
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6.0
"...the film remains watchable for the story, a few suspenseful moments, and Tabu's electrifying act."
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Sachin Chatte· The Navhind Times
6.0
"The Malayalam version had a bit of flab which is also seen here – both the films clock the same time, even though it looked like the original film took longer to establish the plot and cut to the chase. While the family bonding element it essential it should not take almost an hour to set it up. In the end, Drishyam comes across as a thriller and not so much as a family drama."
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Ananya Bhattacharya· India Today
5.0
"In all, Drishyam squanders much of its potential, leaving one wondering what the film could have been, had it been executed well. Watch it if you have to, for Ajay and Tabu's display of duelling willpowers."
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5.0
"Those who have seen the Malayalam version must steer clear of this movie.Ajay can never match up to Mohanlal's performance. Otherwise it could be called an average Bollywood thriller."
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5.0
"For an engaging battle of wits, watch this film. The second half, thankfully a direct adaptation of the original, also draws you in as audience, making you think of right and wrong, justice & fairness. Also do catch it if you are an Ajay Devgn or Tabu fan. Otherwise, for those who like watching quality films on crime & passion, I would rather leave the decision to you."
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Suhani Singh· India Today
4.0
"With the sluggish first half in which Kamat gives Tabu a dramatic slo-mo entry, the more suspense-driven second half is a vast improvement. Kamat just about holds it together as he takes a will-they, won't-they approach to the Salgaonkars and engrosses viewers into their fate. Nonetheless, you'll be better off watching the Malayalam original."
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Mumbai Mirror Reviewer· Mumbai Mirror
4.0
"Drishyam could've been crisper (runtime: 163:33 minutes) and woven in a few more tricks and surprises. But it is only a lazy remake and a lot is lost in translation."
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Deepanjana Pal· Firstpost
"Handicapped by its stars, Kamat ends up making a decent film that doesn't live up to its potential, lacks wow moments and seems too long at 163 minutes. And that's a shame, because there's a good story and an intelligent adaptation hidden out of sight in Drishyam."
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Karan Raikar· BookMyShow
"Drishyam is everything a Bollywood film should be – smart, hard-hitting and story-driven. It's a must-watch, especially if you enjoy suspense films!"
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Uday Bhatia· LiveMint
"Drishyam is a solid remake, but a film with Tabu as in the Vijay role and Devgn as the cop would have been so much more exciting."
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"Kamat's film works well if you haven't seen the original. Otherwise, this remake might fall a tad short."
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Nandini Ramnath· Scroll.in
"If the Hindi remake, also called Drishyam, proves anything, it is that Joseph's movie, which borrows its central idea from the Japanese thriller The Devotion of Suspect X, is a hard act to follow. The Hindi Drishyam, directed by Nishikant Kamat, works just fine so long as it reproduces its original twisty quality, but it nevertheless suffers from miscasting and unnecessary scripting tweaks."
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Sneha May Francis· Emirates247
"'Drishyam' picks up momentum towards the second-half, so if you are willing to indulge the filmmaker, you wouldn't be disappointed."
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Rachit Gupta· Filmfare
"In the end, it all comes down to the twist ending. The story has all the trappings to keep you engaged and then the surprise climax rounds it all up nicely. But these are things not original to Drishyam's Hindi iteration. And yet those are the strengths of this film."
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Komal Nahta· Komal Nahta's Blog
"Drishyam is a well-made film with some exciting moments but it has appeal more for the classes. It is also too lenghty. At the box-office, it will be difficult for the film to break even despite recovery of more than 50% of the investment (Rs. 65 crore) from sale of satellite rights alone."
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Anuj Kumar· The Hindu
"On paper it belongs to Ajay but on screen it is Tabu who walks away with it. And even when she is effortlessly seeking attention, the underrated Rajat Kapoor excels as the husband who retains his sanity amidst the moral chaos. Watch it for them, watch it if you haven't watched the original."
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FPJ Bureau· The Free Press Journal
"The climax is just awesome and worth watching and waiting for. Performance-wise, Ajay is very good, as is Tabu. Shriya and the daughters have also acted brilliantly and do justice to their characters. The film's direction and screenplay is very good, while the music is okay. I would say, the movie is must watch."
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Mihir Fadnavis· Firstpost
"A lot is salvaged in the crackerjack reveal during the finale and it becomes easy to be swept away by the climax's sheer populist wave. If a better, more convincing central actor had brought some authenticity to the table, Drishyam could have been a must-watch. Right now, it just gets a mild thumbs-up."
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
31 July 2015
Runtime
163 min
Language
Hindi

User Ratings & Reviews

Users7.838 ratings

38 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (6)

TEJul 2015

There are lots of things great about Nishikant Kamat's latest feature, but that doesn't mean it can be touted as a great film independently. Starting with a scene so mystic in its own way, the film starts with a flashback. Characters are brilliantly placed into the plot as we witness a family setup being created. Things take a turn when an act of crime enters this scene. One more act of crime follows, and that is when one gets the vibe of a thriller coming into form. The 50 minute second half, which is also the most engaging minutes for any Bollywood film this year, steals the show and keeps us on the edge of our seats as we are smothered by a series of twists. If one does not feel goosebumps during that master-stroke climax, then I don't know what will. The build-up is great, and so is the score that accompanies it, but if one pays attention to details throughout the film, even TataSky's native adverts look more professional. The writing is to be blamed. I am all okay with the idea of remaking, but borrowing the frames, hiring lookalikes, and even using some of the dialogs makes the whole drama look like an answer written by an Engineering student: everything out of place and irrelevant. Plus, apart from few minor, clever changes, there is no hint of any improvement which should have been necessary and which would have made it more appealing to the learned masses. I had problems with the whole cast; like they all watched the original (2013) and just re-enacted their roles. It hardly works, and now this can be taken as a testimonial study by filmmakers in the future before they enter the remake scene. Devgn could not handle the fatherly figure well, nor could Tabu create thunders with her uniform. The guy who played the corrupt policeman Gaitonde acted like he just came out of a wrestling pit and was made to deliver his cocky, cringe-worthy dialogs. The child artistes were fine, if not oversmart. Even Kapoor was a let-down. The film also questions justice and what a person should do at times like this. Although, the plot constantly makes the family look like protagonists in spite of their deeds, and falsely guides us what it thinks is right (or should be right). But if you look closer, you will realize the climax answers all the questions about righteousness. BOTTOM LINE: Drishyam, as an edge-of-the-seat thriller, does not tell you how to act during time of brutal crimes, but it finely creates a story so charming that you will want to talk about it with your friends just to understand what is right and what is wrong. VERDICT: 6 stars out of 10. Watch it! Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

HISept 2015

Yes,visual can be deceptive but here, it is also captivating...a gripping thriller always makes u chill down ur spine bt a ''family thriller'' make sure dat ur eyes also gets wet with overpowering emotions...DRISHHYAM exactly hits the map of thrill,suspense,family drama amd tries to justify the two aspects of d same coin...it has the rare pitch perfect screenplay with well apt direction that steer the movie to get a well deserved applause...ajay as a family man with his dimly lits and inebriated eyes portrayed his character beautifully...rajat kappor and other actors also justified their characters with utmost conviction...tabbu, when acting as a grief stricken mother was powerful enough to drive ur tear gland...in all,its a must watch for its astonishing screen play...i know,bhaijaan still has more screen space nd making cash register ringing bt this one really deserves ur tym nd kitty nd i m sure u won't regret it later....

SAMay 2016

This Is Perhaps Nishikant's Best Film..Thanks To Already 5 Times Used Screenplay.Acting Of Ajay Is Extremely Average, He Should Hv Done Better. Tabu Acted Well Though. As I Hv Not Watched Previous Ones I Was Thrilled To The End

About a month back, I had written about "Papanasam" which saw Kamal Haasan show ample evidence as to why he is considered as one of the best actors in the country. Well credit for that definitely goes to Jeethu Joseph whose script & direction was top notch & which was made all the more impactful thanks to the peerless Lalettan. Anywaz that led to a remaking spree with the latest industry to be hooked onto it being Bollywood. So will it be able to create waves there as well after all the cultural differences is pretty marked between the North & the South??? Well I am not even going to attempt saying anything about the plot as it would be known to everyone by now. This version had Nishikant Kamat call the shots who got some pretty decent credentials having won the National Award for his Marathi film "Dombivali Fast" a couple of years back. The screenplay by Upendra Sidhaye has remained more or less true to the original but subtle changes has been made to the script with regard to the locales. So does it actually work atleast in terms of the thrill factor. There is no doubt that it's surely one of the well made thrillers in Bollywood in the recent past, but if you have seen Lalettan's or even Kamal's version, you are bound to be disappointed. Just to cite a few examples, the sequence where the family was brutally thrashed at the police headquarters or the climax between the two parties both of which was brilliantly canned in Malayalam & Tamil, but it barely had an impact here. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention, which doesn't imply it was mediocre but it doesn't quite catch your attention also. I do agree that it's absolute injustice to even compare Ajay Devgan to a legend like Lalettan, but he is no lame duck also after all he has won the National award twice. Being a person who have excelled in expressing anguish & helplessness through his eyes, I would have to admit that it was disappointing to see him unable to showcase that caliber here. However, Tabu absolutely rocked as the IG & I feel she has performed on par or even better than Asha Sharath. The way she showcases her ability to oscillate between the ruthless nature of her profession & the yearning of her mother's heart, was quite a treat. Rajat Kapoor as Tabu's husband was impressive (the best in all the versions) along with Kamlesh Sawant. As for the rest of the cast, Shriya Saran & the kids were average at best while the kid who enacted Varun's role was far from threatening. Verdict: With "Bajrangi Baijaan" & "Bahubali" ruling the roost, it wont be possible for "Drishyam" to make a dent in their collections. But to be fair to the makers, I feel they have done a praise worthy job & surely deserves an audience for their effort. So will it appeal to those who have seen the original or even the Tamil version, then the answer will be a big "No". Anywaz give it a try if you haven't seen either of the two or else forget it!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

AJJul 2017

answer to the scociety, movies makes us brilliant

SHSept 2019

'Drishyam' isn't a new story. Jeethu Joseph wrote the script in 2012 and directed it in Malayalam with the same name starring Mohanlal in 2013, and by the name 'Papanasam' in Tamil, starring Kamal Haasan early this year. Both of them were extremely worthy films, the Tamil version being the best. And Nishikanth Kamat has directed its Hindi version, and honestly, it is far, far, and far away from being a disappointment. Actually, it is not only one of the best Hindi films this year, but also one of the most entertaining thrillers in Hindi cinema with a emotional core that satisfies. The film is based on the happy-family life of the Salgaonkars, the leading man Salgaonkar Vijay being a chauthi fail (a fourth class fail) as we are repeatedly told, both in the trailer and the film, in case we don't forget that he is. And he has a young, damn sexy wife called Nandini. These two glam people have a teen daughter Anju (who, thankfully, is an adopted child) and again, a cutie doll daughter Anu. Their happy-family life is what constructs most of the first half, as is usually expected if a regional family-based drama thriller is adapted for the Bollywood belt. And all of the flaws of 'Drishyam' are restricted to this gritty-but-not-amazing first half for most of the time: feel-good but lazy, heartwarming but a little too at home. The performances don't match the thrilling expressiveness of the Malayalam version (which, frankly boring, still establishes its superhero lead hero in a non-mass template) or the more gripping Tamil version (which has the emotional quotient all on point and comes with originality). But as I described the film earlier, it all comes together satisfactorily. The visuals of the film mix the grim shine of the Malayalam version and the dazzle of the Tamil version. Cinematographer Avinash Arun pulls it off with his lights all focused on each character. And the visual, Goan rhapsody gets with a compelling, linear tale written by Jeethu Joseph. But the magic is in the well-conjured screenplay- Upendra Sidhaye has well written the texture of the film. After a well-put first half, it's the second half where the film captures the real motion. With the suspenseful narrative taking pace and performances getting their amazing, original drive, the film takes motion, the writing takes central stage and the visuals indeed getting deceptive. Unlike any version of 'Drishyam' narrative, instead of Ajay Devagn's lead, the emphasis is on the inspector-general Meera Deshmukh. Tabu plays the character with excellence, and she is indeed one of the best female performers of the year. Ajay Devagn, although restricted to an illiterate thriller-binge fan who takes the revenge for family- as the draw board says- remains fresh. Shriya Saran and Ishita Dutta breathe life into their characters although never given much to do. Above all, 'Drishyam' is not realistic, but it is sure very interesting. I'm going with a 7 out of 10 for Drishyam. Recommended.

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