Whilst taking part in the French film challenge on ICM in April,a friend told me about a Bollywood Thriller he had seen on Netflix. Finding the long run time to be an interruption with the challenge,I decided to save the title for viewing on the May Day Bank Holiday.View on the film:Re-making Jeethu Joseph's 2013 Malayalam film Drishyam, director Nishikant Kamat & cinematographer Avinash Arun gather round the Salgaonkar's with artful group shots that capture the sharp intake of breath over they each take over telling the correct lies. Digging up the family secrets, Kamat and Arun dip the film in deep red lights and long shadows that steam up a gritty atmosphere over the battle of wits between Vijay and Meera Deshmukh. Holding tightly on to his family, Ajay Devgn gives a great performance as Vijay, whose roar of aggression when family is threatened is threaded by Devgn with a calculating calmness.Swaggering in as her officers beat up suspects, Tabu gives a Inspector General Meera Deshmukh, who is attacked by Tabu with a brute attitude that gives the psychological and physical violence Deshmukh dishes out a sting that leaves her male officers hiding in the corner. Taking inspiration from Keigo Higashino's book The Devotion of Suspect X, the screenplay by Upendra Sidhaye spends the first half layering the bonds between the Salgaonkar's and thrillingly placing them on their slippery attempts to build alibi's for the murder. Making the lies of the family tight,Sidhaye takes the mystery to a dead-end,which leads to horrible wrong turns as Vijay trips himself to revealing all with poorly-written exposition being shoved into the dialogue and dimming the wickedly macabre twist ending, as the last shovel of dirt is placed on the family plot.

Vijay Salgaonkar is a 4th grade dropout. He owns a small shop running cable TV in the neighborhood and spends most days watching TV. Using his TV knowledge, he helps an elderly couple get their son out of jail from a corrupt system where a crooked cop extorts from the locals. He's a father-knows-best at home. When creepy Sam threatens his daughter Anju with a peeping Tom video, Anju and his wife Nandini inadvertently kills him. Vijay sets off to hide the crime against Sam's unrelenting, ruthless police chief mother.I wasn't sure what this movie was going for at first. There is a bit of light tones which confused me a little. The first act needs to be tighter and darker. This does turn much darker with a hint of The Usual Suspects. The dates concerned me a little but the movie throws it a very nice reveal. The other concern is Sam's mother. She's definitely not a simple villain although a much darker villain may be better. I appreciate seeing both sides of the crime but it does make for a more complex narrative. I can see this being remade into a dark, stripped-down noir.

I usually don't watch Hindi Bollywood movies, but this is one of the best movie i have ever watched. I would recommend everyone to watch it on first priority.It is Ajay Devgan's master piece. Good acting by Tabu and Ishita as Anu.We must appreciate the director of this movie. Job Well done.

There are movies which are generally paced than there are movies which are light which appeal to a bigger audience. I found drishyam slow but that's where it appeals to a bigger audience. It is a story of a man who goes to different lengths to save his family.Direction: Average direction.Screenplay: Above average screenplay.Cinematography: Average cinematography.Tone: When it comes to tone, what comes mostly to one's mind are efforts to embed into minds fake incidences occurred. Those and other are set well.Music: Below average.Acting: Almost everyone associated with the movie has acted really well.