Drishyam 3 Review: Mohanlal Shines in an Average Thriller

Story

Georgekutty (Mohanlal) finally fulfills his long-time dream of making a movie with superstar Arun Kumar (Biju Menon), and as a producer he scores a blockbuster success. However, along with fame, this success once again brings media attention onto Georgekutty’s family. In this process, questions regarding Varun’s (Roshan Basheer) death start resurfacing. At the same time, Georgekutty plans the marriage of his daughter Anu George (Ansiba Hassan). Meanwhile, two journalists also keep a close watch on Georgekutty’s movements. What new challenges arise in this situation, and how Georgekutty overcomes them this time, can only be known by watching the film.

Performances

Even Telugu audiences know what a great actor Mohanlal is. He can effortlessly fit into any role, and in Drishyam 3 too, he delivers his trademark performance. It may feel a bit new for Telugu audiences, but Mohanlal carries the role with complete ease, using his unique body language and style effectively. Meena is good in her role as well.

Technical Aspects

The production values in the film are decent. The Telugu dubbing is neat. Anil Johnson’s background score works well for the movie. Satheesh Kurup’s cinematography gives the film strength with its natural tone. However, the editing could have been planned better, especially in the first half.

Analysis

The Drishyam franchise played a key role in expanding the popularity and market for Malayalam thrillers. Naturally, a third installment in such a franchise creates huge expectations.

If Part 1 thrilled audiences immensely, Part 2 was made even more engaging by the director. The way the second half unfolds is fairly decent. A few interesting sequences here and there manage to create good curiosity.

The director maintains strong momentum in portraying the tense situations between Mohanlal and the police. The supporting cast also performs well. Some comedy scenes involving young actress Esther Anil work nicely.

However, Part 3 fails to live up to the hype created by the earlier films, which becomes disappointing to some extent. Compared to the standards set by the previous installments, Part 3 does not reach the same level. The first half especially feels slow and lacks much excitement.

Even in the second half, while there are a few scenes and moments that attract attention, the thriller as a whole struggles to fully engage the audience. Viewers already have an idea about Georgekutty’s mind games from the earlier films, but Part 3 fails to match those expectations either in storytelling or screenplay.

As for director Jeethu Joseph, it must be said that he falls slightly short of meeting the expectations created around this particular film. Audiences expected solid twists and turns from him. Though he succeeds in impressing in a few places, overall it feels like he missed recreating the impact and quality of the previous two films.

Verdict:

Overall, Drishyam 3 does not feel on par with the high standards set by the franchise. That does not mean the film is completely bad — it works in parts and feels okay at certain moments — but since the franchise established such strong expectations, audiences naturally hoped for something even better. Unfortunately, that key impact is missing here. Compared to the earlier films, Part 3 has less impact. Mohanlal, as always, delivers a sincere performance, but due to the lack of a more engaging narrative, the film ends up feeling like a missed opportunity.