Chinese Version Of Drishyam Is A Blockbuster

Drishyam  , the 2013 Malayalam  film directed  by  Jeethu Joseph,  is now a Chinese  blockbuster. The film  which starred Mohanlal in the Malayalam original, and Kamal Haasan in its Tamil remake, was bought by a Chinese production house a year ago for a remake.

 The Chinese remake  entitled  Sheep Without A  Shepherd  was  released all over China on  December 13, 2019 and  become  a   instant  hit, raking in 31.13  million dollars in the  first week, making it a bigger success at  the Chinese  boxoffice than  Jumanji 2: The  Next Level, reports the Chinese  portal  CGTN.

This crime thriller about a middleclass father  who goes to murderous lengths to  protect his family, has been  a big success in three Indian languages, Malayalam, Telugu and also Hindi .

In Drishyam in Hindi Ajay Devgan  played the protective  father plotting a devious alibi to protect his family from the law. Tabu played the cop on the prowl. The cop’s role is played by  the legendary  Chinese actress Joan Chen in  The Sheep Without A Shepherd.

Commenting  on  the perennial  popularity  of  the  Drishyam  story(written  originally by JeethuJoseph)  Nishikant  Kamat who  directed the Hindi adaptation  says  it is the idea of a man  going to any lengths to protect his family, that works in the film’s favour.

 “Also the foolproof  alibi that the protagonist constructs to protect his family from the law is sheer genius.I’d give the credit for  the success of Drishyam in so many languages to the writing,”says Kamat.