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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD OCTOBER 23, 2026 | The Indian Eye 52

How ‘Drishyam 3’ turned

a familiar thriller into a

bigger story

Ajay Devgn’s Hindi-language finale has found commercial success

by moving beyond the Malayalam version, showing how a remake can honour

a popular original while carving out its own identity

OUR BUREAU pressure to a story that could otherwise become
a solitary contest between one clever man and the
Mumbai
system.
he most revealing thing about Drishyam: Still, claims of superiority need qualification.
The Conclusion is not simply that audiences The Malayalam original retains the freshness of
Thave returned to Vijay Salgaonkar. It is that the first idea and Jeethu Joseph’s careful control
the Hindi franchise has made a deliberate break of suspense. Mohanlal’s Georgekutty is deeply
with the Malayalam story at the very moment when rooted in the texture of an ordinary family, and the
familiarity might have seemed the safest option. original’s quieter rhythms give its ethical dilemmas
The result has been a commercial success and a room to breathe. The Hindi version’s greater com-
useful case study in how remakes can evolve rather mercial reach is not, by itself, proof of artistic su-
than merely reproduce. periority. Different language markets, distribution
The film, directed by Abhishek Pathak and networks and audience sizes make box-office com-
led by Ajay Devgn, has reportedly crossed Rs 500 parisons imperfect.
crore worldwide. The collection reflects the reach Yet the Hindi film has demonstrated that ad-
of Hindi cinema and the audience built by the first aptation need not mean fidelity at any cost. A re-
two films. make can preserve the premise, emotional stakes
The original Malayalam Drishyam, directed by and central character while changing the route to
Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal, established the finish line. That freedom matters especially for
the franchise’s central strength: an ordinary man a franchise in which suspense depends on audienc-
who uses patience, observation and an intimate es believing that the next move is not simply a re-
knowledge of storytelling to protect his family af- play of the last one.
ter a terrible crime. Its suspense came not from Indian cinema increasingly travels across lan-
action but from the gap between what the police guages, but audiences are not necessarily asking for
suspected and what they could prove. identical versions of the same story. They may wel-
By the third film, the formula faced a serious come a familiar world if filmmakers offer a fresh
risk. Viewers knew Vijay’s methods and expect- point of view. The strongest adaptations under-
ed another intricate escape. Repeating the same stand what made the original work, then make in-
pattern could have reduced a compelling moral dependent choices about tone, pace and resolution.
drama to a mechanical sequence of twists. The The release strategy and timing helped turn
Hindi version’s decision to take a different nar- Ajay Devgn and Tabu at an event to promote their movie the film into an event, while the established fan
rative path, with a distinct story and ending, gives base gave it an audience before the first show. Sus-
the franchise room to move forward instead of re- Drishyam 3 in Mumbai taining attention, however, required something
maining trapped by its own success. beyond nostalgia: a credible final chapter for a
That is the strongest argument for saying the Devgn’s performance is well suited to this character whose cleverness had become the fran-
Hindi film surpasses its Malayalam counterpart: more pressured version of Vijay. He plays the char- chise’s signature itself.
not that the original is deficient, but that the adap- acter through restraint: a controlled expression, a Drishyam: The Conclusion succeeds because
tation recognises the need for a different conclu- guarded silence and the sense that every conversa- it treats familiarity as an asset, not a substitute for
sion. Pathak has described the Hindi instalment as tion may contain a threat. Instead, Devgn makes invention. Its commercial performance confirms
distinct from the Malayalam film, and its approach Vijay more tightly wound, a man whose composure the franchise’s enduring pull; its willingness to
places greater emphasis on a decisive ending. The has become both his defence and his burden. diverge gives the Hindi version a case of its own.
title, The Conclusion, signals that the story must The supporting cast helps give the conflict The Malayalam film created Vijay Salgaonkar’s
deliver more than one last demonstration of Vi- weight. Tabu’s presence continues to anchor the world. The Hindi finale’s achievement is to make
jay’s ingenuity. It must reckon with the accumulat- police investigation in personal grief and deter- that world feel capable of reaching a different, and
ed cost of his choices. mination, while the wider ensemble adds new definitive, end.

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