'Drishyam 3': Director teases Ajay Devgn starrer's darkest chapter
What's the story
Abhishek Pathak, director of Drishyam: The Conclusion, has revealed that the third installment of the Hindi franchise is an entirely new story and not connected to its Malayalam counterpart. In an interview with Variety, he said, "It's completely different. It's a new story. It's nothing to do with Malayalam." The film stars Ajay Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar in what Pathak calls the character's darkest chapter yet.
Franchise finale
'This is where I'm ending the film beautifully'
Pathak, who produced the first Hindi Drishyam and directed Drishyam 2, emphasized that the new title signifies a conclusive ending rather than a setup for another sequel.
He said, "This is where I'm ending the film beautifully, where all the resolution comes to an end eventually."
He added that he hasn't written a story that would extend the franchise further but didn't rule it out entirely.
Screenplay development
Pathak's research involved reading fan theories, identifying gaps
The screenplay for Drishyam: The Conclusion took about two years to complete, with Pathak starting the process after Drishyam 2 was released in 2022.
He read fan theories online and identified gaps in Salgaonkar's story to build the new plot around.
"That's the main game of screenplay writing," he said, adding that audiences have become sharper at predicting the character's next move with each installment.
Character development
Salgaonkar becomes increasingly morally ambiguous across 3 films
Pathak described Salgaonkar as increasingly morally ambiguous across the three films, anchored by one constant: "That's been the core of this film from part one itself, anything for family."
He added that the character grows more intense and evolves into "more darker shades," while audiences continue to root for him despite his actions becoming increasingly unlawful.
New character
'You will see a very different Jaideep Ahlawat'
Jaideep Ahlawat, known for his role in Paatal Lok, joins the cast as a new investigating officer.
Pathak teased, "You will see a very different Jaideep Ahlawat. I don't think he's done something like this before."
The Drishyam franchise has seen widespread success since Jeethu Joseph's original Malayalam film starring Mohanlal opened in 2013.
It has been remade in multiple languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Sinhala.