The Salgaonkars Are Back
Some franchises run on spectacle. Drishyam runs on silence — on what its characters don’t say. Eleven years after Ajay Devgn first played Vijay Salgaonkar, the soft-spoken cable operator with a steel-trap mind, the third chapter of Hindi cinema’s most loved thriller series is officially on its way.
Drishyam 3 was announced with a short teaser that gave away almost nothing, which is exactly how fans like it. The film will see Devgn return alongside Tabu and Shriya Saran, with Abhishek Pathak — who directed the second part — back at the helm. Shooting is expected to begin soon, with the makers eyeing a 2026 release.
Why This Franchise Refuses to Fade
The numbers tell part of the story. Drishyam (2015), itself a remake of the 2013 Malayalam original starring Mohanlal, turned a modest budget into a sleeper hit. Drishyam 2 (2022) did even better, crossing Rs 300 crore worldwide and proving that audiences would turn up for a thriller built on writing rather than action set-pieces.
But the real currency of Drishyam is cultural. Vijay Salgaonkar’s 2nd October alibi, the family’s rehearsed trip, the quiet menace of Meera Deshmukh — these have entered everyday conversation. Few Hindi film characters of the last decade are quoted as often, or loved as fiercely.
What the Third Part Could Explore
Here’s where it gets tricky. Drishyam 2 ended with a twist that seemed to close the loop. The Malayalam Drishyam 3, written by Jeethu Joseph, is further along in production, and the Hindi version is expected to follow its spine while adapting the texture for its own audience. Joseph has hinted that the third film returns to the moral question at the heart of the series: how long can a man outrun a secret?
Expect the new film to find the Salgaonkar family still living under the shadow of that night — older, wearier, with new eyes watching them. Tabu’s Meera, who never stopped grieving her son, remains the franchise’s most formidable presence, and her unfinished business with Vijay is the thread most likely to snap.
The Stakes for Bollywood
Drishyam 3 arrives at an interesting moment. Hindi cinema’s thriller space is crowded with streaming releases, but the theatrical appetite for a well-made mystery is clearly alive — the second film’s box office proved that. Trade watchers expect the third instalment to open bigger than its predecessor, though much depends on how fresh the central conceit feels the third time around.
For Ajay Devgn, who has had a mixed run at the box office lately, Drishyam 3 is familiar ground in the best sense: a character the audience already trusts him with. If the writing holds — and with this franchise, it always has — its perfect record should stay intact.
