Drishyam 3 writer Aamil Keeyan Khan reveals how makers protected the film’s biggest twist from the crew

The climax and major twists had to remain protected, and director Abhishek Pathak apparently took that responsibility very seriously.

Drishyam: The Conclusion had one particularly difficult job: surprise an audience that has spent years trying to stay ahead of Ajay Devgn's Vijay Salgaonkar. Every clue, every suspicious detail and every possible loophole is bound to be examined more closely when it comes to the Drishyam franchise. For writer Aamil Keeyan Khan, that meant the third film could not simply repeat what had worked before. It had to find a new way to keep viewers guessing.

Drishyam 3: Aamil Keeyan Khan reveals 100+ drafts, Ajay Devgn’s ‘17 tabs’ and why the climax was kept need-to-know.

As Drishyam 3 continues its strong run in theatres, Aamil has opened up about what went into creating the final chapter. He also recalled working with Ajay Devgn and why the actor's ability to switch between conversations and characters left him stunned.

Why the Hindi Drishyam 3 is different

One of the biggest questions around Drishyam 3 was how much of its story would come from the Malayalam version starring Mohanlal. Since that film already exists, there was bound to be curiosity about whether the Hindi version would follow the same path or take a different route.

Aamil revealed that the Hindi team had actually started working on its own story before they read Jeethu Joseph's draft for the Malayalam film. The writing began after Drishyam 2, when neither version was ready and the team was still figuring out where the story could go. He believed the two films cannot be looked at simply as the same story being told in two languages. The tone, performances and even the way audiences connect with the characters can change considerably.

The climax was kept on a need-to-know basis

In an interview with Free Press Journal, he revealed Abhishek ran the production with the same caution that Vijay Salgaonkar would have used while covering his tracks. "Abhishek basically ran the production like Vijay Salgaonkar would," he said. “The climax wasn't given to a large part of the crew. People got information on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes a department only knew what it needed to execute a scene, not necessarily why it was executing it. A lot of actors and crew from the film, and my own friends and relatives, tried to bribe me for the ending. But like Gaitonde, I remained honest and loyal to the producers”.

Ajay Devgn can switch gears in seconds

His time with Ajay Devgn also gave him a glimpse into the actor's remarkably quick mind. He recalled a moment while shooting Drishyam 2, when they were in the middle of discussing another film and Devgn was suddenly called away to shoot a scene.

"I've said this before: the speed of his mind is frightening. He's probably as sharp as Vijay Salgaonkar," he said. “I remember sitting with him during Drishyam 2, discussing another film. Someone called him for a shot, and within seconds, the filmmaker discussing another movie disappeared and Vijay Salgaonkar appeared. He performed the scene, came back, sat down and resumed the conversation almost exactly where we'd left it. There are permanently about 17 tabs open in his brain, and somehow none of them hang”.

Drishyam 3 continues its box office run

The box office numbers have given Drishyam 3 another reason to celebrate. After a strong opening, the film continued to hold its ground and picked up pace through the first weekend. As per industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned ₹61 crore net in India on Day 3 from 17,323 shows. Its India net collection now stands at ₹176.50 crore, while the worldwide gross has reached ₹272.80 crore crore Drishyam 3 also broke into the Top 10 highest-grossing Indian films of 2026 within just two days of its release.