Drishyam 3 movie story: Georgekutty (Mohanlal), now a successful film producer, is looking at getting his elder daughter Anju (Ansiba Hassan) settled, but despite his best and honest efforts, every proposal is scuttled by someone looking to settle a personal score. When one match is eventually set, events play out that blindsight Georgekutty. Can he keep his family safe this time too?
Drishyam 3 movie review: In his promotional interviews for Drishyam 3, writer-director Jeethu Joseph repeatedly mentioned that he knew how the franchise would end and that he then reverse-engineered a story to fit that conclusion. That, perhaps, is Drishyam 3’s biggest failing – it’s a convenient and rather generic plot that leads to the end that Jeethu envisioned. It’s clear that the filmmaker was clutching at straws here. To be fair, Jeethu did warn audiences to lower their expectations and not expect a thrilling adventure like Drishyam or Drishyam 2.
Mohanlal in Drishyam 3
Any logical conclusion would need Georgekutty (Mohanlal) to still remain one step ahead of the police and the missing boy Varun’s parents, or for him to finally give the latter the justice they’ve been seeking. Jeethu was twice lucky with the former, and chose the latter for this instalment, albeit after giving audiences the impression that he was going down the tried-and-tested route yet again.
As hinted in the trailer, there’s a media investigation, but that is discarded mid-way, as also the character with the motivation to spearhead a witch-hunt against Georgekutty. An earlier villain is brought back into the mix, one film too late, and by now, as a predictable twist, so it lacks the punch it should have delivered.
As the grieving mother, who overlooks her son's flaws, and an intelligent cop who figured out Georgekutty’s game plan, but remained powerless to do anything about it, Asha Sharath’s Geetha Prabhakar should have been at the forefront of the crusade against those who wronged her and her family. But even after 3 films, she is never given the agency her character deserves; in fact, this time around she is reduced to two scenes and one three-word-long sentence.
A still from Drishyam 3 featuring Ansiba Hassan, Meena, Mohanlal and Esther Anil
Most of the supporting characters from Drishyam 2 like Murali Gopy, Sumesh Chandran, Ganesh Kumar, Ajith Koothattukulam, etc., return, but with very little to do. Even Meena as Rani, Ansiba and Esther Anil’s Anu are reduced to playing Georgekutty’s picture perfect family, with no emotional depth in that dynamic. Despite the shortcomings in the writing, the film, though still passes muster solely on the back of the glue that’s held the franchise together so long – Mohanlal. One just wishes that he had a meatier script to sink his teeth into here.
Drishyam 3 movie verdict: Drishyam 3 should end the franchise; in fact, it should have ended after the sequel, but its box office performance led to a third film. This film feels like old wine in a new bottle, but then it manages to stick the landing, making it a passable one-time watch.
