Drishyam 3 Review: Mohanlal Shines in Finale

Released: May 21, 2026 | Director: Jeethu Joseph | Language: Malayalam | Runtime: 160 minutes | Box Office (Day 15): ₹230.47 crore worldwide

After thirteen years, two films, and one of the most famous plot twists in Indian cinema history, Georgekutty is back. Drishyam 3 arrived in theatres on May 21, 2026 — a date chosen deliberately to coincide with Mohanlal's 66th birthday — and with it came the weight of enormous expectations. When a franchise has become this deeply embedded in popular culture, the third film is not just a movie. It is a reckoning.

The good news is that Jeethu Joseph, who wrote and directed all three films, mostly delivers.

The Story

Six years after the events of Drishyam 2, Georgekutty's life appears stable. He has adapted the story of his past into a successful film and continues to live with his family while attempting to move forward. However, journalists Yami and Rony begin investigating possible real-life inspirations behind the film, particularly the circumstances surrounding Varun's death.

The narrative also introduces a new character, Avira, played by Nikhil Nair, who becomes romantically involved with Georgekutty's daughter Anju George, pulling the family's buried past back into the present through an unexpected personal connection. The central tension of the film is built around what happens when the carefully constructed wall of lies that Georgekutty built to protect his family starts developing cracks from an entirely new direction.

What Works

Mohanlal is the reason this franchise exists and he is the reason to watch this film. Critics praised Jeethu Joseph's storytelling and Mohanlal's performance, describing Drishyam 3 as an emotional thriller rather than just a film built on twists. Many said the drama and tension around Georgekutty and his family feel strong and satisfying, even for fans who loved the first two parts.

Critics praised Mohanlal for delivering a compelling performance, particularly in emotionally charged scenes. Other cast members including Meena and young actresses Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil have also been acknowledged for their strong contributions. The family unit at the heart of the Drishyam films has always been its emotional engine, and the third film understands that. These are not characters in a thriller — they are a family the audience has watched grow, suffer, and protect each other across more than a decade.

Technically the film is polished throughout. Cinematographer Satheesh Kurup gives the film a grounded, lived-in visual quality that suits its tone. Anil Johnson's background score knows when to build tension and when to step back and let performances breathe. Editor V.S. Vinayak keeps the film tight for most of its 160-minute runtime.

What Does Not Fully Work

The film suffers from a weak first half and some predictable storylines. This is perhaps inevitable with a franchise this well-known. Audiences come in knowing Georgekutty's methods, and the element of genuine surprise that made the original so electrifying is harder to recreate when viewers are already looking for the trick. There are stretches in the first half where the film feels like it is setting pieces on a board rather than telling a story.

Box Office — Day by Day

The numbers tell an impressive story. Drishyam 3 crossed ₹100 crore in just 58 hours and ₹200 crore within 7 days of its release, becoming the highest-grossing instalment in the franchise and one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films ever made.

The film's India net collection reached ₹102.75 crore, while its India gross earnings stand at ₹119.22 crore. One of the biggest contributors to its success has been a strong overseas reception, with the film amassing ₹111.25 crore in overseas gross collections. Combining domestic and overseas earnings, the worldwide gross collection climbed to ₹230.47 crore by Day 15.

The week-by-week breakdown shows how the film held across its theatrical run:

Week 1 collection: ₹81.95 crore. Day 9: ₹4.30 crore. Day 10: ₹5.10 crore. Day 11: ₹5.35 crore. Day 12: ₹2.20 crore. Day 13: ₹1.55 crore. Day 14: ₹1.25 crore. Day 15: ₹0.03 crore.

With Drishyam 3 crossing ₹230 crore worldwide, the film needs just under ₹5 crore more to surpass the lifetime collections of both Thudarum and Vaazha II, which earned around ₹234.25 crore each, potentially making it the fourth highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. The highest-grossing Malayalam film remains Lokah Chapter 1:
Chandra at ₹303.86 crore, followed by Mohanlal's own L2: Empuraan at ₹266 crore and Manjummel Boys at ₹242.3 crore.

Advance bookings before release totalled ₹35.27 crore globally, marking it as the second highest pre-sale record for a Malayalam film, closely following Mohanlal's previous hit L2: Empuraan.

The film entered theatres with a strong foundation, collecting ₹81.95 crore during its opening week. The second week added another ₹20.80 crore, helping maintain momentum before entering its third week.

What Comes Next — The Hindi Remake

The Hindi remake with Ajay Devgn reprising Vijay Salgaonkar alongside Tabu, Shriya Saran, and Rajat Kapoor is confirmed for October 2, 2026, directed by Abhishek Pathak. October 2 is Gandhi Jayanti — the same date the previous Hindi instalments released — continuing one of Bollywood's more satisfying franchise traditions. With the Malayalam original now setting the benchmark at ₹230 crore and counting, the pressure on the Hindi version to deliver will be considerable.

Verdict

Drishyam 3 is not a perfect film. The first half meanders and the franchise's signature unpredictability is harder to sustain in a third chapter when audiences already know the playbook. But it is a genuinely worthy conclusion to one of Indian cinema's most beloved thriller trilogies. The Drishyam franchise has long been praised for placing audiences in a morally complex situation — rather than relying solely on suspense, the series explores themes of family, justice and survival. The third film honours that tradition.

Jeethu Joseph respects his audience enough to give them something emotionally real rather than just a mechanical plot exercise, and Mohanlal delivers exactly the kind of performance that reminds you why this character became iconic in the first place.

If you watched Drishyam and Drishyam 2, you already know you are going to watch this. The only question was whether it was good enough. It is.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Director: Jeethu Joseph | Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Murali Gopy | Music: Anil Johnson | Cinematography: Satheesh Kurup | Production: Aashirvad Cinemas | Box Office (Day 15): ₹230.47 crore worldwide