Drishyam 3 hits Rs 501.80 crore as Shriya rejects comparisons

When a film crosses Rs 500 crore, the first question is usually whether it can beat the original. Drishyam 3: The Conclusion star Shriya Saran has a different request: put the comparisons aside.

Speaking to mid-day, the actor pointed to the Hindi script’s own identity and Abhishek Pathak’s direction as the reasons the film is working with audiences.

A different story, not a remake race

Shriya Saran was clear about the debate that has followed both versions. “This film is different, and it cannot be compared to the Malayalam version because the story has been written completely differently.”

She also credited the team behind the camera. “The script is very entertaining and has been written really well. Abhishek has also done a great job directing it.”

Both films continue Georgekutty’s story, but the Hindi version has taken its own narrative direction instead of following the third Malayalam film that released earlier this year. That creative split has turned the “which one is better?” question into a fan debate online.

Mohanlal, who plays Georgekutty in the original Malayalam films, added a warm note after watching the Hindi adaptation. He praised the team for giving “a much-loved journey to a befitting end” and congratulated Abhishek Pathak, Kumar Mangat Pathak, Ajay Devgn and the cast and crew.

The Rs 501.80 crore box-office picture

The comparison talk is also being driven by the Hindi film’s commercial run. Drishyam 3: The Conclusion crossed the Rs 500 crore worldwide gross mark on its 12th day in theatres.

• Tuesday, 13 October: Rs 8.50 crore net in India, up 41.7% from Monday’s Rs 6 crore, according to Sacnilk.
• India net collection: Rs 323.50 crore.
• Domestic gross: Rs 387.80 crore.
• Overseas gross: Rs 114 crore cumulative.
• Worldwide gross: Rs 501.80 crore.

The day’s India number came from 14,846 shows, a sign of how wide the film’s reach remains into its second week.

Why this matters for Drishyam fans

Comparisons between remakes and originals are older than the industry, but this is a rare case where two Hindi and Malayalam endings are arriving close together and with the same central character. The commercial result is not a verdict on which script is better; it is proof that the franchise can hold two different conclusions without losing its audience.

Think of it as two arrangements of the same family story: both begin with Georgekutty and his secrets, but each screenplay chooses a different route to the finish. That is why a head-to-head scoreboard misses what makes the Hindi film interesting.

For fans, the practical takeaway is to treat each film as its own story. The Malayalam film remains the source, but the Hindi version has now posted numbers that show audiences are willing to follow a separate path. Shriya Saran’s point, in short, is not to protect one film from criticism; it is to keep the conversation on the right question: does this story work on its own terms?

Source: The Times of India