The problem with making a third Drishyam was never getting the audience into theatres. The real problem was finding a story worth telling after Drishyam 2.
Drishyam: The Conclusion Review 🎬 — A tense final chapter for Vijay Salgaonkar. But can Drishyam 3 match the impact of Drishyam 2? ⭐ 4/5
That film had already given Vijay Salgaonkar his biggest escape. So when Drishyam: The Conclusion begins, there is a feeling that the game should be over. Six months after the events of the second film, Vijay and his family are trying to move on, but Meera Deshmukh (Tabu) hasn't been able to let go of her son's death. A new investigation, led by SP-Crime Branch Rajveer Singh Tomar (Jaideep Ahlawat), brings the old case back into the picture.
And this is where the film gets interesting.
It isn't simply Vijay finding another clever way to fool the police. This time, he is being pushed into a corner. The investigation feels more personal, and the possibility that everything he has protected for years could finally collapse hangs over the family.
For me, that is what keeps The Conclusion going.
The screenplay doesn't waste time
The film gets into its central conflict fairly quickly. There isn't a long build-up before Vijay finds himself dealing with another serious threat.
That was a good decision.
A third Drishyam didn't need another elaborate introduction to the characters or another reminder of what happened in the first two films. The audience already knows Vijay. We know how he thinks. We know what he is capable of. The challenge was to put him in a situation where those old tricks might not be enough.
The screenplay manages that reasonably well.
There are twists, but the film doesn't depend on a twist every ten minutes. Some developments are easier to see coming than the surprises in Drishyam 2, but the important thing is that the story generally plays fair with them.
There were moments when I was trying to work out what Vijay had planned rather than simply waiting for the next big reveal. That is when the film is at its best.
Jaideep Ahlawat gives Vijay a different opponent
Jaideep Ahlawat is one of the reasons the new investigation works.
Rajveer Singh Tomar isn't just another police officer asking the same questions we have already heard twice. He has authority, patience and a different approach to the case. That gives Vijay something new to deal with.
The scenes between Ahlawat and Ajay Devgn have the right tension because neither actor needs to make the confrontation loud.
Devgn continues to play Vijay quietly. A look or a pause often says more than a long dialogue. After two films, that restraint has become part of the character.
Tabu also has more emotional weight because Meera's grief remains central to the conflict. Her character isn't simply brought back to remind us of the earlier films; she is still living with what happened to her family.
Where it falls short of Drishyam 2
This is the part where I don't think the new film can quite match its predecessor.
Drishyam 2 had the advantage of making the audience genuinely unsure about what Vijay was going to do next. Even when you thought you had figured him out, the film had another card to play.
The Conclusion doesn't have quite the same mystery because we already know Vijay's methods.
The difference becomes particularly noticeable towards the climax. This time, the satisfaction comes more from seeing the story reach its destination than from being completely shocked by the destination itself.
That doesn't make the climax bad. It simply makes it different.
And honestly, I think that was probably unavoidable. Trying to make the third film even more complicated than Drishyam 2 could easily have pushed the story into ridiculous territory.
This is not the Malayalam Drishyam 3
There is another reason this film is important for the franchise.
The Hindi Drishyam: The Conclusion is not a remake of the Malayalam Drishyam 3. While the first two Hindi films followed the Malayalam storyline, this one has an original story written for Vijay Salgaonkar's Hindi version.
That matters because there was always going to be curiosity about whether the Hindi franchise would simply follow another established storyline. Instead, the filmmakers had to decide how their version of Vijay's story should end.
Whether every answer works perfectly is debatable, but at least the film is trying to give this franchise its own ending.
What the reviews are saying
The critical response has not been completely uniform.
Some reviews have praised the performances and the film's ability to maintain tension, while others have felt that some of the explanations become too convenient. The difference in opinion is understandable.
If you're expecting another Drishyam 2, you may come out wanting a bigger final punch. If you're watching it as the final chapter of Vijay's story, the film's approach makes more sense.
Drishyam 3 box office performance
The audience clearly wanted to see how the story ends.
Drishyam: The Conclusion opened on October 2 and recorded a huge first day. Early trade figures vary by source, but estimates put the India net around ₹64–67 crore, while the worldwide opening was reported at roughly ₹95 crore.
The film also benefited from strong advance bookings before release. The opening has already put it ahead of the previous two Drishyam films in terms of debut numbers, although the exact figures differ between trade trackers.
So the bigger box-office test now isn't the opening. It is whether the film can maintain that momentum through the weekend and the following days.
The final verdict
I went into Drishyam: The Conclusion wondering whether there was really another Drishyam film left to make.
After watching it, I think there was — but I wouldn't say it has surpassed Drishyam 2.
The new film has a solid screenplay, a more aggressive investigation, a strong addition in Jaideep Ahlawat and enough twists to keep the story moving. More importantly, it doesn't feel like the makers have simply stretched the franchise because there was money to be made.
For me, Drishyam 2 remains the more unpredictable thriller. The Conclusion works better when viewed as the film that finally has to deal with the consequences of everything Vijay has done.
And as an ending, it works.
Drishyam: The Conclusion — 4/5
Verdict: Drishyam: The Conclusion may not deliver the same surprise factor as Drishyam 2, but its writing, performances and central investigation make it a worthwhile final chapter for Vijay Salgaonkar.
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