Drishyam: The Conclusion had one particularly difficult job: surprise an audience that has spent years trying to stay ahead of Ajay Devgn ‘s Vijay Salgaonkar. Every clue, every suspicious detail and every possible loophole is bound to be examined more closely when it comes to the Drishyam franchise. For writer Aamil Keeyan Khan, that meant the third film could not simply repeat what had worked before. It had to find a new way to keep viewers guessing.
As Drishyam 3 continues its strong run in theatres, Aamil has opened up about what went into creating the final chapter. One of the biggest questions around Drishyam 3 was how much of its story would come from the Malayalam version starring Mohanlal. The writing began after Drishyam 2, when neither version was ready and the team was still figuring out where the story could go. He recalled a moment while shooting Drishyam 2, when they were in the middle of discussing another film and Devgn was suddenly called away to shoot a scene. “I remember sitting with him during Drishyam 2, discussing another film. There are permanently about 17 tabs open in his brain, and somehow none of them hang”.
Aamil revealed that the Hindi team had actually started working on its own story before they read Jeethu Joseph’s draft for the Malayalam film. In an interview with Free Press Journal, he revealed Abhishek ran the production with the same caution that Vijay Salgaonkar would have used while covering his tracks. He also recalled working with Ajay Devgn and why the actor’s ability to switch between conversations and characters left him stunned. Since that film already exists, there was bound to be curiosity about whether the Hindi version would follow the same path or take a different route. The tone, performances and even the way audiences connect with the characters can change considerably. If there is one thing the makers of a Drishyam film cannot afford, it is a leak. The climax and major twists had to remain protected, and director Abhishek Pathak apparently took that responsibility very seriously. “The climax wasn’t given to a large part of the crew. People got information on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes a department only knew what it needed to execute a scene, not necessarily why it was executing it. A lot of actors and crew from the film, and my own friends and relatives, tried to bribe me for the ending. But like Gaitonde, I remained honest and loyal to the producers”. His time with Ajay Devgn also gave him a glimpse into the actor’s remarkably quick mind. Someone called him for a shot, and within seconds, the filmmaker discussing another movie disappeared and Vijay Salgaonkar appeared. He performed the scene, came back, sat down and resumed the conversation almost exactly where we’d left it.
He believed the two films cannot be looked at simply as the same story being told in two languages. “Abhishek basically ran the production like Vijay Salgaonkar would,” he said. “I’ve said this before: the speed of his mind is frightening. He’s probably as sharp as Vijay Salgaonkar,” he said.
