‘Drishyam The Conclusion’ director Abhishek Pathak on crafting the Hindi original and its memetic afterlife

As ‘Drishyam The Conclusion’ solidifies its run at the box-office, director Abhishek Pathak talks about deviating from the Malayalam version, intentionally writing comic lines for Gaitonde, his reactions to internet memes on the film and more

Updated - October 14, 2026 03:26 pm IST

Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Pathak during the shoot of ‘Drishyam The Conclusion’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Drishyam The Conclusionmaintains its deceptive streak. The flimsy mind games of Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar turn into a fulfilling spectacle in the final part of the famed franchise. As the film continues to rake in numbers at the box office, director Abhishek Pathak is pleased with the outcome. “Finally, I have got a chance to take a break,” he says. “It has been overwhelming to see the reactions of people who are liking the film. It’s great to look at all of it while spending time with the family.”

Family is what drives Vijay to single-handedly outwit an entire system, whether it is tackling the wrath of the chain-smoking top cop, SP Rajveer Singh Tomar (Jaideep Ahlawat) , or challenging the logical arguments of the hot-shot lawyer, Indrajith Shetty (Prakash Raj). Vijay enters God-mode as he plants alibis and destroys evidence beyond imagination to have the last laugh. That’s what separates Vijay from Mohanlal’s Georgekutty, as the Hindi third part takes a markedly different approach from Jeetu Joseph’s Malayalam version, which was released earlier this year and leaned towards subdued psychological drama rather than the suspense-driven beats of Drishyam: The Conclusion. Abhishek reveals that the idea to make an original third part came after the release of Drishyam 2.

“While many loved the film, there was still a section of audiences who were still talking about the Malayalam version. Seeing that, I just felt that I had to make my own film next time. The craft cannot be ignored just because it’s taken from some other material. So, I told my writers to work on an original story and not wait for the Malayalam film to remake it,” says Abhishek, who has co-written the film with Aamil Keeyan Khan and Parveez Shaikh.

Drishyam: The Conclusion is being considered to be better than Malayalam’s Drishyam 3, which received mixed reviews, with its screenplay coming under scrutiny. “We knew that we had to write well for people to like our film. There would be comparisons, and we wanted to set the benchmark with our writing and craft. That’s why we took a completely new approach to the franchise. I wanted to conclude it as a last original offering from our end,” Abhishek says.

Abhishek Pathak during the shoot of ‘Drishyam The Conclusion’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The writer-director reached out to Jeetu Joseph when the film’s screenplay was ready and offered the Malayalam filmmaker to read the Hindi original. “I think they were still writing the screenplay of the Malayalam version. I am not too sure what stage they were at. But I told them that I can make them read our script. But they were sure not to do that. I am glad that ultimately they made their version and we made ours,” he says.

The difference in Abhishek’s approach to the third part is apparent in how he shapes the film as an entertainer following the rhythm of a gripping Bollywood spectacle, full of pulpy twists and dialoguebaazi. It carries that old-school charm of Hindi cinema where the hero takes on the powerful and emerges victorious by fighting an almost impossible-to-win battle. That’s the kind of films that Abhishek wants to make. “I don’t want to get into a space where only I am enjoying the whole nuance of the characters. I want general theatre-going audiences to have fun. We are not making films that will be watched only by a few in a room; we are making films for crores of people globally, who should be able to connect to it and enjoy,” he opines.

Perhaps that’s why the franchise has witnessed growing popularity on social media in the form of memes ever since the first part came out in 2015. The most viral among them is the one about October 2, the day when Vijay’s family supposedly went to an ashram in Drishyam, mainly to build an alibi. The third part releasing on the same date is a nod from the makers to the franchise’s vibrant afterlife. “There were few elements in the third part too that we knew would become memes,” Abhishek says. However, some surprised him, like the scene involving actor Ajit Singh Palawat, where he is part of a play, rehearsing the dialogue, “Sab madeera peeke sogaye (Everyone slept after having liquor)”, which has become a sensation on Instagram reels. “I never thought that it would go viral like this. We thought it was an absurd dialogue but never realised people would start talking about it and do reels. You don’t know what people will pick up and find funny,” says Abhishek.