Drishyam 3 Movie Review: Ajay Devgn, Jaideep Ahlawat and a Finale Full of Twists

Drishyam 3 Movie Review

Some film franchises become popular because of their characters. Others survive because audiences want to know what happens next.

The Drishyam franchise has always worked on both levels.

When Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar returns in Drishyam: The Conclusion, the central question is no longer simply whether he can protect his family. It is whether the carefully constructed world of lies and alibis that he has built can survive one final investigation.

Released in theatres on October 2, 2026, the film is directed by Abhishek Pathak and brings back Devgn alongside Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta and Mrunal Jadhav. Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj join the central conflict as new faces of the investigation and courtroom battle.

Drishyam: The Conclusion Review: Does Vijay Salgaonkar Finally Get His Perfect Ending?

Drishyam 3 Review: A Different Road to the Finale

The most important thing to know about Drishyam 3 is that it does not simply reproduce the Malayalam third film.

The Hindi version moves away significantly from the Malayalam storyline and develops its own narrative, with Abhishek Pathak, Aamil Keeyan Khan and Parveez Shaikh credited for the screenplay. NDTV notes that the Hindi conclusion differs from Jeethu Joseph’s screenplay, while The Indian Express also highlights the film’s significant departure from the Malayalam version.

That decision changes the experience for audiences who have already followed the Malayalam franchise.

Knowing the broad history of Vijay Salgaonkar does not necessarily tell you where this version is heading.

And that unpredictability becomes one of the film’s biggest advantages.

Ajay Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar

Ajay Devgn once again understands that Vijay does not need to constantly raise his voice to control a scene.

His performance works through restraint.

Vijay is still the obsessive movie lover who understands how stories work and knows that controlling a narrative can sometimes be as important as controlling evidence. The character’s confidence comes from preparation rather than conventional heroics.

The Indian Express describes Devgn as solid in the role, while NDTV points to his quiet resolve and determination to protect his family.

This is particularly important because the film surrounds Vijay with characters who are determined to break his carefully constructed story.

Jaideep Ahlawat Brings a New Threat

The biggest addition to the Drishyam universe is Jaideep Ahlawat as police superintendent Rajveer Tomar.

Unlike a conventional villain, Tomar represents something more dangerous for Vijay: an investigator who understands that the Salgaonkar family’s story may contain something deliberately hidden.

Ahlawat brings intensity without turning the character into a caricature.

NDTV’s review particularly highlights the tension between Ahlawat’s police officer and Devgn’s Vijay, while The Indian Express also singles out his performance as one of the film’s notable elements.

The social-media conversation has similarly focused heavily on Ahlawat’s presence, with some users comparing his performance with Akshaye Khanna’s role from Drishyam 2. Those are audience opinions rather than a measurable verdict, but they underline how much attention the new character has received.

First Half vs Second Half

The film’s structure is another interesting element.

The first half operates largely as a police procedural, with Rajveer Tomar gradually putting pressure on Vijay. According to NDTV’s review, the first half moves without major detours and keeps the investigation at the centre.

After the interval, the film moves more strongly towards courtroom drama.

Prakash Raj enters this portion as prosecutor Indrajit Shetty, adding another layer to the conflict. The courtroom sections give Vijay a different kind of challenge: this time, surviving the investigation requires more than simply staying ahead of the police.

Drishyam 3 Movie Review: Ajay Devgn’s Thriller Keeps the Suspense Alive

The Climax and Twists

For a Drishyam film, the climax is naturally the most sensitive subject.

Without revealing the twists, early audience reactions have repeatedly highlighted the final stretch, with several viewers praising the suspense and unpredictability. The Times of India reported that social-media reactions particularly focused on the climax and interval sequence.

Cinema Express described the film as a series of twists and turns that attempts to make audiences forget that they already know the destination.

That is essentially the challenge Drishyam 3 faces: the audience has spent years learning how Vijay thinks.

The film therefore has to stay one step ahead of viewers who believe they have already figured out his next move.

Drishyam 3 vs Malayalam Drishyam 3

This comparison is unavoidable.

The Malayalam and Hindi franchises now take different narrative paths for their third chapters. The Hindi film does not function as a straightforward remake of the Malayalam conclusion, giving audiences a separate story to discover.

Some reviews have gone further in their assessments. The Week, for example, published a strongly positive comparison in favour of the Hindi version. That is the publication’s critical judgment, not an objective measurement, and audiences may naturally respond differently depending on their attachment to Mohanlal’s version.

The more interesting point is that the Hindi film has created enough narrative separation to give franchise followers a reason to watch it even if they already know the Malayalam storyline.

Background Score and Technical Craft

There is little room for conventional Bollywood song placement in a thriller this tightly constructed.

Instead, the background score becomes important in maintaining suspense.

The film relies on atmosphere, investigative sequences, courtroom confrontations and dramatic pauses rather than musical interruptions.

One criticism raised by The Indian Express concerns the volume of the background music, while other reviews have viewed the score as an important part of the tension.

Audience Perspective

The strongest reason for the audience response may be simple: people have grown attached to Vijay Salgaonkar.

For three films, viewers have watched an ordinary family man transform into someone capable of constructing elaborate layers of deception to protect his loved ones.

The final chapter therefore carries emotional stakes beyond the mystery itself.

Can Vijay protect his family one last time?

Can the police finally break his carefully constructed narrative?

And can the franchise conclude without undermining what came before?

Drishyam 3 builds its theatrical experience around those questions.

Highlights of Drishyam 3 Movie Review

Meghna Gulzar chooses a challenging and socially relevant subject.

• Ajay Devgn returns as Vijay Salgaonkar.
• Abhishek Pathak directs the concluding Hindi chapter.
• Jaideep Ahlawat joins the franchise as police officer Rajveer Tomar.
• The Hindi film follows a different story from the Malayalam Drishyam 3.
• The second half moves strongly into courtroom drama.
• Early reactions have praised the twists, performances and climax.

Drishyam 3: The Conclusion marks the final chapter of the Hindi Drishyam franchise, with Ajay Devgn returning as Vijay Salgaonkar. Directed by Abhishek Pathak, the film takes a different narrative route from the Malayalam third instalment and builds its own conclusion around Vijay, his family and the police investigation that refuses to disappear. Early reviews have highlighted Devgn, Jaideep Ahlawat, Tabu and Prakash Raj, while audience reactions have particularly focused on the twists, interval sequence and climax. The result is a thriller that attempts to give one of Bollywood’s most popular suspense franchises a theatrical farewell.

Drishyam 3 Review: Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar Gets His Final Chapter

Drishyam: The Conclusion understands what audiences expect from a Drishyam film: tension, misdirection, investigative pressure and a protagonist who always appears to have another move waiting.

It also takes a necessary risk by creating a different Hindi conclusion instead of simply following the Malayalam version.

Ajay Devgn remains perfectly suited to Vijay Salgaonkar’s quiet intensity. Jaideep Ahlawat adds fresh energy to the investigation, Tabu brings emotional depth, and Prakash Raj strengthens the courtroom portions.

The film is not without flaws. The loud background score and occasional unevenness in the second half have been noted by reviewers. But the central thriller machinery remains effective, particularly as the story approaches its final stretch.

For audiences who have followed Vijay Salgaonkar since 2015, Drishyam 3 is ultimately about one last game of cat and mouse.

And this time, the question is not simply whether Vijay has planned everything.

It is whether he has planned for the unexpected.