Why Was Akshaye Khanna Track Introduced In Drishyam 2 Hindi Remake? Director Abhishek Pathak Reacts - EXCL

The

final chapter of Drishyam 3 (Malayalam) has released in theatres worldwide. Headlined by Mohanlal, the franchise returns to cinema halls. The sequel to Drishyam was directly premiered on Prime Video due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It was later adapted into Hindi, featuring Ajay Devgn, Tabu and others. Abhishek Pathak remade the Jeethu Joseph directorial. Now, as Drishyam 3 releases in theatres, Zoom spoke to Pathak about the challenges he faced while adapting the Malayalam blockbuster sequel into Hindi. The first part of Drishyam Hindi was directed by the late Nishikant Kamath.

Abhishek Pathak on adapting Drishyam 2 Malayalam for Hindi audience

In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Abhishek said he did not look at the adaptation as a challenge. “When I saw the Malayalam version, I liked its core, but the way the film was written and what our audience prefers, it took a lot of time to understand and execute. I almost took a year and a half.”

Abhishek Pathak reveals reason for Akshaye Khanna's track in Hindi Drishyam 2

He further shared that to match the Hindi audience’s taste and sensibilities, he had to drop some material and subplots from the Malayalam Drishyam 2. “I had to drop some material from the Malayalam version and add my own stuff. When you look at Drishyam 2 Malayalam and my Hindi version, there are so many different angles. Akshaye Khanna’s track was not there. They had a cop, but I wanted to make it different. Scenes were added to make it edgier. The only challenge was the time taken to write the film. I was given the liberty to take time with the script.”

Abhishek Pathak on expansion in Malayalam cinema

Speaking of venturing into Malayalam cinema and backing Drishyam 3, Abhishek added, “Bollywood is our home zone. Malayalam is something which we really got excited. People are appreciating the content created, especially in Malayalam. That is what excited me to create content here as well. That is when I decided to go to Kerala, set up a studio there, and we started meeting writers, directors and others. I think this is experimental cinema. That is what I prefer to do, and we will with our movies.”

About Drishyam 3 Malayalam

Mohanlal is back as Georgekutty. Drishyam 3 picks up right after the events of the sequel. As per early reports, the film will be streaming on Prime Video by the end of June or early July.