Drishyam is an Indian film franchise centred on a thriller storyline about an ordinary family man who uses his knowledge of cinema to protect his family after an accidental crime. The franchise originated in Malayalam cinema with the 2013 film Drishyam, written and directed by Jeethu Joseph and starring Mohanlal. Owing to its commercial and critical success, the film has been remade in several Indian languages and has spawned a direct sequel, making it one of the most widely remade story properties in Indian film history.
| Franchise | Drishyam |
|---|---|
| Original language | Malayalam |
| Created by | Jeethu Joseph |
| Original film | Drishyam (2013) |
| Original producer | Antony Perumbavoor (Aashirvad Cinemas) |
| Lead actor (original) | Mohanlal |
| Genre | Crime thriller, drama |
| Languages adapted | Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sinhala, and others |
| Sequel | Drishyam 2 (2021) |
The original Drishyam was conceived and directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner Aashirvad Cinemas. The story is set in the fictional village of Rajakkad in Idukki district, Kerala, and follows Georgekutty, a cable television operator with a fourth-standard education who is devoted to films. When his family becomes involved in the death of a young man, Georgekutty applies plot devices learned from movies to mislead a police investigation led by an Inspector General whose son is the victim.
The film was praised for its tight screenplay, restrained performances, and its depiction of small-town family life in Kerala. Its high-concept premise, which can be transplanted across cultures with minimal adjustment, made it attractive for adaptation in other Indian film industries.
The original Malayalam film was released on 19 December 2013. Directed by Jeethu Joseph, it featured Mohanlal as Georgekutty, Meena as his wife Rani, and Asha Sarath as the Inspector General Geetha Prabhakar. The film became a major box-office success in Kerala and is often cited as a landmark in modern Malayalam cinema.
The Malayalam sequel Drishyam 2, again written and directed by Jeethu Joseph, was released directly on Amazon Prime Video on 19 February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mohanlal, Meena and Asha Sarath reprised their roles. The story is set several years after the events of the first film and revisits the unresolved investigation. It was widely watched on streaming and received strong reviews.
Jeethu Joseph has publicly indicated that a third Malayalam film, tentatively titled Drishyam 3, is being planned with Mohanlal returning in the lead role. A Hindi Drishyam 3 has also been announced by the producers of the Hindi versions.
Jeethu Joseph has remained the principal creative force across the franchise, having directed the two Malayalam originals, the Tamil remake Papanasam, and the Telugu remakes Drushyam (sequel) and Drushyam 2. The Malayalam films are produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Aashirvad Cinemas. The Hindi films are co-produced by Panorama Studios, with Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak among the producers.
The Drishyam franchise is widely regarded as a turning point for the perception of Malayalam cinema in pan-Indian markets, demonstrating that a content-driven thriller from a regional industry could be adapted profitably across languages. The franchise has been cited in academic and journalistic discussions of Indian remake culture, the influence of Malayalam screenwriting on mainstream Hindi cinema, and the shift toward writer–director driven thrillers in the 2010s. The phrase "Drishyam-style" has entered popular Indian film vocabulary as shorthand for plots involving meticulous cover-ups inspired by films within films.