Ajay Devgn On Bollywood Recovery, ‘RRR’ Success And Meeting Increasing Audience Demands In ‘Drishyam 2’
21.11.2022 - 16:09
/ deadline.com
Panorama Studios’ Drishyam 2, starring Ajay Devgn, has just had a strong opening at the Indian box office, taking around $9m on its opening weekend and holding up strongly today (Monday, November 21).
The crime drama sequel, directed by Abhishek Pathak and also starring Tabu and Akshaye Khanna, is receiving a red carpet gala screening at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa this evening. Devgn sat down with Deadline in Goa to discuss the film, which was partly filmed in the Indian beachside state, his thoughts on the current state of Hindi-language (a.k.a. Bollywood) cinema and some of his upcoming projects.
Indian audiences have become much more demanding since the first Drishyam was released in 2015, Devgn starts off by explaining. “It’s not just that audiences have seen much more content during the pandemic, it’s also the way production technology has changed. We’ve upgraded everything for Drishyam 2, because the film should not look outdated,” says Devgn, who is a filmmaker himself with three films under his belt as director.
“So the tone of the film, color palette, style of shooting has also been adapted. It looks edgier, more real. But the story definitely starts right from where the first one ended. In fact, you really need to see the first Drishyam before you watch the sequel,” Devgn adds.
A critical and commercial hit, grossing more than $14m worldwide, the first Drishyam told the story of a man who goes to extreme lengths to protect his family when they commit an unexpected crime. Both the first film and Drishyam 2 are remakes of a Malayalam film and its sequel, but the Hindi sequel has some additional characters, including a senior cop played by Khanna. The Malayalam film was also remade