There is a moment in Drishyam 3 where Mohanlal’s Georgekutty simply sits with the weight of everything he has buried. No dialogue, no dramatic reveal, just a man who has lied so long that the truth has become a foreign language to him.
This is the performance that anchors the film, and the reviews agree. Times of India’s 3.0 rating reflects a film that works best when it lets Mohanlal carry the emotional load rather than when it tries to outsmart the audience.
Jeethu Joseph trades cleverness for catharsis, and it costs him
The director’s strength has always been moral tension, and he maintains that continuity here. Georgekutty’s central conflict, protecting a family built on deception, remains the franchise’s beating heart.
But the screenplay leans too hard into drama. One critic put it bluntly: “Director Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam 3 is a sequel that prioritises drama over intelligence.” That trade-off defines the film’s identity crisis.
The thriller mechanics feel rustier than they should
The suspense here is rooted in concealment and consequence, not puzzle-box cleverness. Tension stays tied to family protection rather than action setpieces, which suits the franchise’s DNA but leaves genre purists hungry.
Critics noted that emotional drama often outweighed the suspense design. The psychological pressure is present, but the sharpness of earlier installments is missing. The narrative moves mostly linearly, with fewer structural tricks to admire.
What worked in Drishyam and Drishyam 2 was the feeling of watching a chess master think three moves ahead. Here, the film feels more like a man staring at the board, wondering how he got into this position. That introspection has value, but it is not the same thrill.
Meena and Siddique: the family fortress shows cracks
Meena’s Rani Georgekutty is listed among the main cast, and her presence signals the film’s intent to deepen the family drama. She represents the domestic cost of Georgekutty’s choices, the wife who knows more than she lets on but has chosen silence as survival.
Siddique’s George Sebastian rounds out the supporting core. His casting suggests the franchise’s continuity of moral ambiguity, where even allies carry their own burdens. Neither gets scene-stealing moments, but their quiet support gives Mohanlal’s performance room to breathe.
The box office says hit, the critics say compromise
The numbers tell a story of their own. The Week reported ₹81.95 crore domestic from the first week, with worldwide gross hitting ₹164.32 crore in six days and later ₹236.11 crore by day 16. Sacnilk’s tracking, cited by Hindustan Times, showed ₹117.17 crore worldwide by day three, a commercial verdict that overrides critical hesitation.
By day 27, Times of India citing Sacnilk put the India net at ₹109.93 crore and worldwide at ₹239.20 crore. The film is a certified hit, but the audience complaints mirror the critics: slower pace, fewer twists, looser writing.
One review called it “an emotionally layered finale that values introspection over thrills.” That is the film’s identity, for better and worse. And another critic landed the harshest blow: “Mohanlal is the saving grace in the least effective film of the franchise.”
I find it hard to argue with that framing, even if I respect what Joseph attempted.
For franchise loyalists and viewers who prefer their thrillers with a heavy dose of family drama, this delivers. For those expecting the twist machinery of the originals, temper your hopes. Watch it on OTT or a regular screen, the film does not demand theatrical scale.
Drishyam 3 is a watch for Mohanlal’s quietly devastating turn, but as a thriller, it earns a modest 3 out of 5 from me, a franchise that has traded its sharpest weapon for softer emotional armour.
If you want to see how another Malayalam drama handles moral weight, check out more Malayalam Thriller reviews.
For a sharper take on a lead actor carrying a patchy screenplay, read our System review.
And for a film where the drama hides more than it reveals, our Gudgudi verdict explores similar territory.
Ankit Jaiswal is the Chief Author, covering Indian cinema and OTT releases with honest, no-filler criticism. An SEO strategist by background, he brings a research-driven approach to film writing, cutting through hype to tell you exactly what's worth your time.
