The Drishyam franchise has once again found itself at the centre of a major conversation, this time over the reported differences between the Malayalam and Hindi versions of its third chapter. Writer-director Jeethu Joseph, the creative force behind the franchise, has now opened up about why the Hindi adaptation is expected to make certain changes and why he believes audiences across regions can have very different expectations from the same story.
The discussion comes after reports that the Ajay Devgn-led Hindi version of Drishyam 3 will have changes to its climax compared with the Malayalam film starring Mohanlal. The reported alterations are understood to be connected to audience sensibilities, regional tastes and the personalities of the actors playing the central characters. The Hindi film is being directed by Abhishek Pathak, who also helmed the second instalment of the Hindi franchise.
Speaking about the broader evolution of Hindi cinema and how audiences have changed with Bollywoodhelpline, Jeethu Joseph said, “Look Bollywood is also changing, but its slightly slow, it’s purely my opinion, Hindi industry is changing perhaps Malayalam industry started changing a little early. During Covid, when people started watching a lot of international cinema, so their taste in cinema, prospective towards story and character also changed, this change came to south cinema, or Malayalam cinema very fast, but In Hindi cinema the change is coming now, I guess Hindi cinema makers should start thinking about different type of subject and if they serve different types of subject to the audience, definitely the prospective of the audience will change. Change is coming, it will happen, it’s inevitable”
Jeethu further explained that the idea for the third instalment originally came from him and that the Hindi team had an opportunity to watch the Malayalam film before its release. He revealed that Kumar Mangat came to the studio for a screening, liked what he saw and subsequently discussed certain changes with the team. Jeethu said, “The idea originally came from me, interestingly they watched the Drishyam 3 before release in Malayalam, Kumar Mangat came to the studio for a screening, he liked it, and they said they need to make some changes, and I said Okay.”
“Taste of audience varies from region to region, they have the liberty to make changes. And the team is investing money in this franchise, they need guarantee on their investment. Plus, if you look at the Malayalam Drishyam, in the third part, we are discussing the insecurities of the protagonist, even in Kerala there is a difference of opinion about it, a lot of people agreed with my point of view, but there are other people who wanted Mohanlal’s character George Kutty to win but I was against it, and I wanted to approach the film more seriously and that is how I ended up with the present climax. He has some guilt, he has insecurities, he wants to live peacefully. If he wanted to win, he could have won, but he doesn’t, and he surrenders, but that is my take on it. Despite being a block-buster in Malayalam, people have issues with my ending. I guess the Hindi makers wants to make audience happy, I don’t know.” added Jeethu.
The filmmaker made it clear that while he knows what the Hindi version has planned, he is not in a position to reveal the specifics. According to Jeethu, the Hindi team has already made changes in the first two films and therefore has the creative liberty to adapt the third chapter according to its audience. However, there was one important condition attached to those changes — they could only be implemented after the Malayalam version was released. Jeethu said, “I know the Hindi version, but I am not at liberty to discuss it. Basically they came to us, they read the script and they said they wanted to change certain areas because of audience taste, Malayali audience taste is different than Hindi audience, they wanted to make some changes, and they can make those changes, as they have made changes in the first and second part as well, they have the liberty, they requested and we agreed, but we stipulated that only after the release of Drishyam 3 in Malayalam.”
At the heart of the debate is the ending of the Malayalam Drishyam 3, where Jeethu chose to take Georgekutty in a direction that was deliberately different from what some fans expected. Rather than simply giving the protagonist another victory, the filmmaker explored his guilt, fear and desire for a peaceful life. Mohanlal’s version of the character ultimately surrenders, a creative decision that generated discussion even after the film became a major success. For Jeethu, the ending was not about giving audiences the most conventional victory, but about taking the character into a more psychologically serious space.
With the Hindi adaptation set to follow its own path, comparisons between Mohanlal and Ajay Devgn are inevitable. However, Jeethu himself believes such comparisons are unfair because the two actors have their own individual approaches to performance and characterisation. He said, “You cannot compare Ajay Devgn and Mohanlal, both have their own style of presentation and characterisation, you cannot compare actors, each have their own style, Ajay will present it in his own way, Mohanlal presented it in his own way, I don’t think its right to compare one actor with another.”
The Malayalam Drishyam 3, led by Mohanlal, released in May and went on to become a major success, adding another impressive chapter to one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated thriller franchises. Now, the spotlight shifts towards Ajay Devgn’s Hindi adaptation and how Abhishek Pathak chooses to translate the story for Hindi-speaking audiences. While the exact changes remain under wraps, Jeethu Joseph’s comments make one thing clear: Drishyam 3 is not necessarily about delivering the exact same experience in every language, but about allowing each adaptation to speak to its own audience.
And that may be the most fascinating part of the next chapter. The Malayalam film has already sparked conversations over Georgekutty’s choices and its unconventional ending, while the Hindi version appears ready to take its own creative route. With Jeethu giving the makers his blessing to adapt the story while protecting the original Malayalam release, the eventual Ajay Devgn version could offer audiences a familiar story with a distinctly different emotional destination.