Director Jeethu Joseph has completed work on the Mohanlal-led Drishyam franchise, a three-part family thriller that began with Drishyam in 2013. The film immediately became the highest-grossing film of all time in Malayalam, and it has since resulted in remakes across the country. As we await the release of the third part, the Drishyam franchise has also amassed the unique record of becoming the most remade Malayalam film of all time, with versions travelling out of the country, including in Chinese, Korean and Sinhalese.
As he sees it, the request for a Korean remake, that too for a longer web series version, is something he holds close to his heart. Not because it breaks new records, but only because of the validation it brings. He says, “When I made the first Drishyam, some people said I had copied my film from Korean movies, even though they didn't mention any of the films. Then, in court, I had to prove the copyright of my script by showing that an older version of the script had been mailed from my ID. Now that there could be a Korean version of my script, it feels good because it proves beyond doubt that it’s my idea.”
A Hindi version of the third film is also ready to release later this year. Adding that a few versions had made changes to his films, he says he is curious about how some of them would find a starting point for future sequels to the film. Adding that he sees bits of himself in Mohanlal's protagonist, Georgekutty, Jeethu reflects he, too, might be the kind of person who would go to lengths to protect family.
Drishyam 3: The Conclusion will be released on the 21st of May, after various delays. Drishyam has been remade into Kannada as Drishya, Papanasam in Tamil and Drishyam in Hindi and Telugu. In Sinhala, the film is called Dharmayuddaya and in Chinese the remake is called Sheep Without a Shepherd.