Drishyam 3 Director Abhishek Pathak Opens Up: Why He Wrote the Ending First

Every thriller lives or dies on its final act. For Drishyam: The Conclusion, the third and final chapter of Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar saga, writer-director Abhishek Pathak says the team treated the ending as the foundation. In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, he explains how the film was shaped. Here are the key takeaways, spoiler-free.

Drishyam 3: Overview

1. Why He Chose an Original Route

After Drishyam 2, Pathak felt a third film needed something genuinely new. He points out that today’s audience remembers every clue and line, so repeating a formula wouldn’t surprise anyone. He decided to tell the story his own way, separate from the Malayalam franchise. The challenge was giving Vijay’s journey an ending nobody would see coming.

2. The Ending Came Before the Screenplay

The team didn’t properly begin writing until they had cracked the ending. Only then did they work backward, making sure even the smallest detail had a purpose. Pathak stresses the goal was never to be different for its own sake, but to find a story that suited these characters.

3. How Malayalam Fans Responded

Asked about fans of the Malayalam version being pleased online, Pathak says he’s heartened by the response across languages. He says the team has always respected the Malayalam films’ legacy. His aim was to take the Hindi story forward in a way that felt organic while keeping what people love: suspense, emotional bonds and small details.

4. Crafting the Climax

Pathak calls the climax the most important part. In his words, if you don’t get it right, the build-up can fall apart. The team kept asking whether the audience could guess what was coming, and if so, they rethought it. They went through many drafts and kept refining even during the edit, adjusting when information was revealed.

For him, suspense isn’t just a big twist. It’s about controlling what the audience knows and when. When the reveal lands, viewers should be able to look back and see the clues were there all along.

5. Working With Ajay Devgn

Pathak praises Devgn’s ability to communicate a lot without saying much, which suits Drishyam perfectly. He’d welcome working with him again on a thriller, drama or something different, as long as the story excites both. But he doesn’t want to rush into a follow-up that tries to recreate this film’s magic.

Why It Matters

For thriller fans, the interview is a mini-masterclass in building suspense. For Drishyam fans, it signals a deliberate, carefully plotted farewell to Vijay Salgaonkar.

For more Indian cinema coverage, visit our Entertainment section, our Movie news, or read about Vijay Sethupathi’s Train getting a December 4 release.

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