Ajay Devgn, Tabu get emotional as they remember late Drishyam director Nishikant Kamat

The trailer for Drishyam 2 was unveiled on Monday afternoon. The suspense thriller is the sequel to the 2015 Hindi film and a remake of the 2021 Malayalam film. Starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Shriya Saran, part one was a sleeper hit, directed by Nishikant Kamat. The filmmaker died in 2020 at the age of 50. At the trailer launch event on Monday, Tabu and Ajay got visibly emotional remembering him. (Also read: Drishyam 2 trailer: Ajay Devgn is being hunted down by Tabu and Akshaye Khanna as case reopens 7 years later)

Drishyam 2 sees Abhishek Pathak take over the direction duties. Nishikant suffered from cirrhosis, to which he succumbed in August 2020 at the age of 50. When Ajay took the stage at the trailer launch of Drishyam 2 in Goa, he first spoke about Nishikant. “I want to just take this occasion to remember Nishi, who directed the first part. Without him, this wasn’t possible,” a visibly moved Ajay said.

His co-star Tabu also started her address to the media with an ode to Nishikant. “I want to remember Nishi and how easy he made the whole experience of the first part,” she said.

Later in the event, when a media person asked Ajay a question about Nishikant’s legacy and memories, the actor said he wouldn’t be able to talk much about him. “However much I talk about Nishi, it won’t be enough. We all miss him. If he was here, we would have all been very happy. But the show must go on,” the actor responded.

The director, who was suffering from chronic liver disease and secondary infections, was admitted to AIG Hospital in Gachibowli, Hyderabad on July 31, 2020. In a statement, the hospital said that Kamat was admitted with complaint of fever and excessive fatigue. “It was diagnosed that he was suffering from Liver Cirrhosis for the past two years. Initially, we started antibiotics and supportive medications upon which Mr. Kamat showed improvement, but his condition soon deteriorated with progressive liver dysfunction and drowsiness. He was immediately shifted to the ICU, where his general condition gradually declined. Since yesterday, he developed respiratory failure and hypotension,” the statement read.

Ajay Devgn, who worked with the filmmaker in Hindi remake of Drishyam, had tweeted, “My equation with Nishikant was not just about Drishyam, a film which he directed with Tabu and me. It was an association that I cherished. He was bright; ever-smiling. He has gone too soon. RIP Nishikant.”