Drishyam 3 Review: Mohanlal protects his daughter while battling his past in an emotional thriller; fans call it a ‘banger masterclass’

Drishyam 3, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, was released in theatres on May 21, 2026, coinciding with Mohanlal’s 66th birthday. The film is the third instalment of the Drishyam franchise and is directed by Jeethu Joseph. Just like its previous versions, the film’s sequel will blow your mind.

The storyline

Drishyam 3 begins where Drishyam 2 ended. Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is now a successful film producer trying to move on with life and arrange his daughter Anju’s marriage. However, the past catches up with him when Varun’s vengeful parents and a disgraced police officer conspire to frame Anju for a new crime. Ultimately, Georgekutty outsmarts their plot and voluntarily surrenders to the police.

The movie explores whether the man manages to survive, protect his family once again, and what price he has to pay for it.

The film explores Georgekutty’s suffering, and he reveals how fame has cost his family. Several scenes in the film will shock you as Georgekutty goes above and beyond to save his daugther.
There are parts in the film wherein he hurts his daugther so as to protect. The film is relevant as we have been seeing several dowry deaths in and around the world.

Georgekutty now seemingly has everything in life: a loving family, a successful theatre business, and a production debut with a Rs 100-crore grosser. But if there is one thing he desperately craves, it is peace.

Drishyam 3 follows the same pattern as its prequels, with the first half taking its time to set up the world and reintroduce the characters, while the intensity and tension rise after the interval.

With Mohanlal headlining the movie, the actor delves deeper into the character, exploring the true colours of his personality. He is the backbone of the film,

In Drishyam and Drishyam 2, Georgekutty is worshipped like God and is touted as superhuman. However, the Georgekutty of Drishyam 3 is different, and his humane metamorphosis presents a much frailer and more exhausted version of the man, allowing Mohanlal to truly excel.

Another major asset of Drishyam 3 is writer-director Jeethu Joseph. While the film has received mixed responses, the screenplay and emotional depth still manage to keep viewers invested.

Drishyam 3 is the perfect birthday gift from Mohanlal to his fans. The actor truly reinvents himself, despite already being a legend of the craft, and completely surrenders to the layers and nuances of the character.

Moreover, several supporting actors, including Meena, Murali Gopy, and Veena Nandakumar, contribute valuable substance to the story.

Let’s take a look at what netizens have to say

A netizen tweeted, “Drishyam 3 keeps you hooked with an unpredictable plot and Jeethu’s sharp writing. While the climax feels different from the first two films, it still lands well. Mohanlal’s commanding presence makes it a must-watch film (sic).”

Another X user wrote, “#Drishyam3 Average Overall Nothing exciting Usual Series Template with okayish turn in the climax Watchable Once (sic).”

One more netizen tweeted, “The third time, Georgekutty is fiercer than ever. Drishyam 3 is simply superb. The way Jeethu Joseph webs every detail together is unimaginable. And Mohanlal, what a range this man brings to a character. Absolute masterclass

Box-office

Mohanlal-starrer Drishyam 3 continues its strong run at the box office despite witnessing a drop in collections on Day 2, and it has already managed to cross the Rs 20 crore mark at the domestic box office within just two days.

According to Sacnilk, Drishyam 3 earned Rs 11.05 crore net in India on Friday, May 22, across 4,886 shows, which is over a 30% drop from its opening-day collection of Rs 15.85 crore. With the Day 2 collection, the film’s total domestic gross collection now stands at Rs 31.18 crore, while the net collection stands at Rs 26.90 crore so far.

The overall occupancy also dipped from 51.3% on Day 1 to 44.5% on Day 2. Among all the languages in which Drishyam 3 has been released, Malayalam continues to perform the best. It collected Rs 9.85 crore net from the Malayalam version alone on Friday, with an overall occupancy of 61%.

This was followed by the Tamil version, which recorded an overall occupancy of 29% and collected Rs 0.40 crore. Kannada recorded an overall occupancy of 19% with earnings of Rs 0.10 crore, while Telugu registered 18% occupancy with collections of Rs 0.70 crore.