'Drishyam can never be made for money': Director Abhishek Pathak reveals if Vijay Salgaonkar's journey ends in part 3

Drishyam The Conclusion, the third part in the franchise, brings back Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Shriya Saran, while Jaideep Ahlawat joins the cast.

It began with the remake of a Malayalam classic in 2015, but over the years, the Hindi Drishyam franchise has acquired a dedicated fanbase of its own. With Drishyam: The Conclusion, the third instalment in the series, the franchise takes a different route from the Malayalam version. This is an original story, completely different from Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3, which came out earlier this year. Ahead of the release, writer-director Abhishek Pathak talks to Hindustan Times about the film and the franchise's road ahead.

Ajay Devgn in a still from Drishyam: The Conclusion.

‘Nobody would make Drishyam just for money’

Drishyam and Drishyam 2 were both direct remakes of the Malayalam films, but the third part takes a different route. Abhishek says, “The moment Drishyam 2 released, I was sure I wanted to do this differently. I did not want to do a remake because it takes away from your craft. This film is written by me, so it can’t have the tag of a remake.”

Drishyam 2, which released in 2022, earned a staggering ₹345 crore worldwide, more than thrice what the first part made. But commercial considerations were never behind the decision to return for a part 3, Abhishek says. “After the numbers Drishyam 2 did, we could have come again in a year or two. But we took four years, out of which two years went into writing. We have tried to stay relevant and ahead of what the audience might expect. Drishyam can never be a commercial decision. Nobody would do this film just to make money. This film has been loved by so many people that it is an emotion for them. You have to do justice to that. That has to be a creative decision, which is why it took time.”

‘Drishyam 3 provides a good closure’

When Drishyam first came out in 2015, it was a different world. Social media was still growing, and fandoms were niche. Today, fan theories and headcanon are almost mainstream. Abhishek recognises the pressure to stay ahead of the viewers. He says, “The audience is more prepared than us right now. They have their own theories and stories. That is our biggest challenge. Drishyam does not work on a formula. It has very specific twists and a shock element that have to be written very well. Without that, it cannot work.”

This part is titled ‘The Conclusion’, a clear hint at Abhishek’s wish to end the story of Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn’s iconic character). However, at the film’s trailer launch earlier this month, cast member Tabu joked that she wasn’t convinced that this was the end. The Malayalam series has already announced a fourth part. Ask him what the chances of a part 4 in Hindi are, and Abhishek exclaims: “Zero!” He adds, “I will never write it. I think this film has been written really well. I am not bragging here, but we have put our life and soul into this. I don’t want to bring money conversations into this film. This film deserves a good closure, and part 3 will be that for everyone.”

All about Drishyam: The Conclusion

Officially titled Drishyam: The Conclusion, the third part of the franchise brings back Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar, along with Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, and Kamlesh Sawant. The new entrants in the cast are Jaideep Ahlawat, Prakash Raj and Saurabh Shukla. The film releases in theatres on October 2, 2026.