Drishyam (2013)

A cinema-mad cable TV operator uses everything he has learned from films to protect his family. A thriller remade across India and beyond.

Mohanlal (left) at a public event
Year
2013
Language
Malayalam
Director
Jeethu Joseph
Starring
Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Asha Sharath, Siddique
Also
Remade in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi

The story

Georgekutty runs a cable TV business in a small town in Kerala and spends his nights watching films. When his family is caught up in a crime, he builds an alibi so careful that even the police investigation can't break it.

The film plays fair with the audience: the clues are all there, and the final reveal is famous.

Why it matters

  • It was remade in Telugu, Tamil (Papanasam, with Kamal Haasan), Kannada and Hindi (2015, with Ajay Devgn), and abroad.
  • A sequel, Drishyam 2, followed in 2021.
  • It showed how a tightly written regional film can travel across the whole country.

Where to watch

Drishyam is available on licensed streaming services, with subtitles. Availability changes from country to country and month to month; see how to find a legal stream. Please don't use pirate download sites: they are illegal in India and a common source of malware.

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