How Drishyam 2 Took Vijay Salgaonkar’s Fight Even Further

Drishyam 2 picks up seven years after the events of the first film, Drishyam 1, when a case everyone thought was closed comes back to threaten the Salgaonkar family all over again. Directed by Abhishek Pathak, this Hindi remake of the acclaimed Malayalam film brings back Ajay Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar, alongside Tabu and Shriya Saran, reprising the roles that anchored Drishyam 1’s success. Released in theatres on 18 November 2022, the film became one of the year’s biggest hits. 

In this Drishyam 2 review, we look at the story, the cast, the music, what worked, what didn’t, and why this version stands apart even for viewers who already know how the story ends.

All About Drishyam 2 Film 2026

Rating of Drishyam 2:	IMDb Rating: 8.2/10 Average Star Rating: 3.5/5
Cast:	Akshaye Khanna, Ajay Devgn, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, Samvedna Suwalka, Shriya Saran, Ashmita Jaggi, Rose Sardana
Movie Duration:	2 hours 22 minutes
Date on Screen:	November 18, 2022
Release Year:	November 2022
Streaming on OTT/Movie Channel/YouTube:	Amazon Prime
Trailers/Clips:	October 17, 2022
Director:	Abhishek Pathak
Dialogues Writer:	Aamil Keyan Khan
Screenplay:	Vijayendra Prasad, S.S. Rajamouli
Music Director:	Devi Sri Prasad
Genre:	Drama/Thriller
Visual/VFX Supervisor:	Yatin Bhave, Snehal Jadhav, and Ashutosh Pandey

How Much is the Drishyam 2 Rating?

Inside Box Office Drishyam 2 Rating: 3.5/5

RRR film Budget: Rs 152 crore

Total box office: Rs 233 crore worldwide gross

IBO Verdict: Hit

What Happens in the Story of Drishyam 2?

The Drishyam 2 story resumes seven years after the events of the first film, when a case that everyone thought Vijay had closed for good in Drishyam 1 reopens. Vijay Salgaonkar now runs a cinema hall and is doing well for himself, but the case is never fully behind him. A man who once witnessed part of what happened that night resurfaces, giving the investigation new life and putting Vijay under pressure again. This time he had to face a sharper, more determined opponent in IG Tarun Ahlawat, played by Akshaye Khanna. 

As the investigation drags on, it starts to consume Gaitonde more than anything else in his life, even his own family. At one point, frustrated and worn down, he snaps: “Main apni biwi ka birthday bhool sakta hoon, lekin 2 October aur 3 October ko nahi bhool sakta.” It’s a small moment, but it says a lot about how deep this case has gotten under everyone’s skin.

Key story points:

• Seven years after the crime, the Salgaonkar family is trying to live a normal life.
• A witness who saw part of that night resurfaces, reopening the case.
• Vijay has to think several steps ahead to protect his family again.
• IG Tarun Ahlawat takes a personal interest in solving the case.
• The story builds toward a tense final confrontation with a twist.

How Does Drishyam 2 Compare to the First Drishyam?

The first Drishyam built its tension around discovering what Vijay had done to protect his family. Drishyam 2 flips that, the audience already knows the truth, so the tension instead comes from watching a sharper opponent, IG Tarun Ahlawat, try to unravel a case everyone thought was closed. He doesn’t chase Vijay with urgency so much as patience, confident that sooner or later, Vijay will hand him the very opening he needs, as Ahlawat himself says: “Dushman ko harane ka mauka aksar dushman humko khud deta hai.” Critics have generally agreed the sequel works best on its own terms, not as a scene-by-scene comparison, with Akshaye Khanna’s entry singled out as adding real stakes the first film didn’t have.

How Is Drishyam 2 Movie Different From the Malayalam Original?

This version makes some notable departures from the Malayalam original. Akshaye Khanna’s character, IG Tarun Ahlawat, doesn’t exist in the Malayalam film at all, and neither does Gaitonde, a recurring antagonist figure from the earlier Hindi film who was written back into this story. The Hindi cut also trims close to 13 minutes off the original’s runtime, tightening the pacing in the second half. For viewers going in fresh, this won’t matter much, but for anyone who watched the Malayalam version first, these changes are what keep it from feeling like a scene-by-scene repeat.

Who Is in the Drishyam 2 Cast?

Performance highlights:

• Ajay Devgn’s return as Vijay Salgaonkar is widely praised for the calm, controlled way he plays a man under constant pressure.
• Tabu’s performance as IG Meera Deshmukh is often noted for its restraint and quiet intensity
• Akshaye Khanna’s entry as IG Tarun Ahlawat adds a strong new presence to the story with reviewers highlighting his focused, no-nonsense screen presence especially notable since the role was written fresh for this version.
• Shriya Saran continues to bring warmth and steadiness to her role as Nandini

The Visuals and Sound of Drishyam 2

Drishyam 2 is shot with the same restrained, grounded style that defined Drishyam 1. There are no flashy angles or overdone drama, just steady camerawork that keeps the focus on the characters and the tension between them. Interrogation scenes are framed tightly, adding to the pressure Vijay feels in every conversation with the police. Composed by Devi Sri Prasad, the score stays mostly in the background, used to build unease during key moments rather than pulling attention with songs. At Inside Box Office, we think this is exactly the right call for a film like this,  a louder soundtrack would have worked against the quiet, calculated tone the story depends on.

What Works and What Doesn’t in Drishyam 2?

The Drishyam 2 trailer promised a tense battle of wits, and the film holds up that promise for most of its runtime. At Inside Box Office, here’s how we saw it play out.

Was Drishyam 2 a Hit or a Flop?

Drishyam 2 was a clear commercial success. Made on a reported budget of around ₹152 crore, the film went on to collect close to ₹233 crore, making it one of the biggest hits of the year. At Inside Box Office, our take is that this success came down to strong word of mouth and repeat viewings, many viewers who had already seen the Malayalam original still wanted to see how the Hindi version’s new characters and trimmed pacing changed the experience, and the film’s steady buildup rewarded that curiosity rather than disappointing it. With Drishyam 3 already in the works in Malayalam, the franchise’s pull clearly hasn’t faded.

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