Jeethu Joseph reveals why plans to begin Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam 3 before Mohanlal’s were abandoned; says climax was first part that took shape: ‘Lalettan asked me to…’

Although a stellar lineup of highly anticipated films is brewing across nearly all major industries in the country, the one project that’s arguably the most awaited, transcending language barriers, is the third installment in director Jeethu Joseph’s crime thriller franchise Drishyam. Following the official announcement earlier this year that the threequel is in development, fans have not only been ecstatic but also actively speculating about what Jeethu might craft this time to maintain or even elevate the legacy of one of Indian cinema‘s most successful film series.

Given that the development of remakes in other languages also hinges on the progress of Jeethu‘s work, it’s safe to say that even the bigwigs in other industries currently have their eyes on the Malayalam filmmaker as they await a finalised draft of his script.

Just days after revealing that he has completed writing the climax of Drishyam 3, the writer-director has now offered further updates on the ambitious project, its production timeline and why initial plans to launch the Hindi version before the Malayalam one were abandoned. Revealing that filming will likely begin by mid-September, Jeethu said that the scripting is currently underway and not yet 100% complete.

“When I finished Drishyam 2, I already had some thoughts about a possible continuation. Even when Lalettan watched Drishyam 2 at my home theatre. I think, because he interpreted the way I crafted the climax, he asked me if a third part was possible. Though I was not sure about what to say, at that time, I told him that if we ever went for another sequel, I wish for the climax of the movie to be crafted in a particular way. I shared my thoughts with him,” he said during a chat with Mathrubhumi.

The filmmaker continued, “Lalettan liked it and asked me to have a go at it, and if it comes right, let’s move ahead with the story and he left. With the thoughts of the story brewing up in my mind, I finally ended up with the story for Drishyam 3. It was the climax of Drishyam 3 that first came to my mind.”

Jeethu Joseph also shared that the makers of the Bollywood version are eagerly waiting for his final script. “People from Bollywood have indeed approached me for the Hindi rights and adaptation. They’re waiting for the script to be ready. There was even a proposal to shoot both the Hindi and Malayalam versions simultaneously, but no firm decisions have been made yet. Initially, there were efforts to begin with the Hindi version, but they faced potential legal complications, so they had to step back.”

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He also mentioned receiving story suggestions from fans. “I received many emails with suggested stories and twists for the movie, but without even reading, I had deleted them. I don’t want my creative process to be influenced or distracted,” he added.

The original Drishyam, featuring Mohanlal and Meena in the lead roles, hit screens in December 2013 and became an instant hit, thanks to a gripping script with a jaw-dropping climax that gave it a strong word of mouth. It eventually became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of its time and was later remade in Kannada (Drishya), Telugu (Drushyam), Tamil (Papanasam), Hindi (Drishyam), Sinhala (Dharmayuddhaya) and Mandarin Chinese (Sheep Without a Shepherd). Indonesian, Korean and English remakes are also currently in development.

The sequel, Drishyam 2, released in 2021, saw Mohanlal and Meena reprising their roles. It too was remade in Kannada (Drishya 2), Telugu (Drushyam 2) and Hindi (Drishyam 2).

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