Did Drishyam 3 Miss Golden Chance with Venkatesh?

Drishyam remains one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated crime thriller franchises, and the Malayalam industry delivered something special with its gripping storytelling and suspense-driven narrative. Starring Mohanlal and directed by Jeethu Joseph, both earlier installments were loved by audiences and earned a reputation as one of the finest sequel franchises in Indian cinema.

Now, Drishyam 3 is arriving as the final chapter, but this time the makers have chosen a different strategy. Instead of waiting for remakes in multiple languages, they are bringing the original Malayalam version itself to audiences across India with dubbed releases.

However, while hype remains strong in Kerala, the response in other markets appears much weaker, particularly in the Telugu states. Despite the film releasing in less than 12 hours, advance bookings remain relatively low, creating concern about box office opening numbers outside Kerala.

It looks like the makers missed an opportunity by not making a Telugu remake with Venkatesh. The Telugu versions of Drishyam and Drishyam 2, where Venkatesh played Rambabu, built a loyal audience base. Because of that emotional connection, many feel Telugu viewers associate the franchise more with Venkatesh’s character than Mohanlal’s Georgekutty.

Venkatesh is busy with projects like Adarsha Kutumbam and his film with Anil Ravipudi, so the producers reportedly chose an immediate dubbed release instead of waiting for a remake.

The makers appear to be relying heavily on the Drishyam brand value itself. However, Mohanlal’s dubbed films have historically not created much impact at the Telugu box office.

Mohanlal’s limited promotions for such an awaited film also shocked many. For films like Barroz and Empuraan, he actively participated in Hyderabad promotions. Additional promotions could have definitely improved opening numbers.

The box office situation may still offer some chances. Outside Suriya’s Karuppu (Veerabhadrudu), there is no major competition for Drishyam 3 until Peddi arrives.

However, one factor can still change everything: word of mouth. If Drishyam 3 receives strong positive talk in the Telugu states, it can still do decent numbers in Telugu, at least during the first week.