A howdunnit’s biggest trick is its mystery reveal. But the success of the Drishyam franchise defied that notion. Even as each of the Hindi adaptations, led by Ajay Devgn, came almost two years after the release of Mohanlal’s Drishyam (2013) and Drishyam 2 (2021), leaving enough time for the audience to know the plot, it found wide success at the box office. But things may not be the same with the third instalment. mid-day has exclusively learnt that Mohanlal and director Jeethu Joseph are keen to make Drishyam 3 a bilingual offering to be released in Malayalam and Hindi. With the original’s makers targeting the Hindi audience, among other sections, it may pose a problem for Devgn’s adaptation. 

From what we’ve heard, Joseph and Mohanlal are working towards taking Drishyam 3 on floors by May-end. A source says, “Buoyed by the past two editions’ success, Jeethu, Mohanlal and producer Antony Perumbavoor are keen to make the third outing a pan-India offering. This can become an issue for Ajay’s movie, as his Drishyam 3’s script is still being worked upon. One of the reasons why Ajay’s Drishyam has been successful so far is because the Malayalam original didn’t tap into the Hindi-speaking audience. But if Mohanlal’s movie releases much earlier than Ajay’s, that too in Hindi, it can be disadvantageous to the latter since they both always share story and plot points.”