Drishyam 2 was nowhere in his scheme of things, director Abhishek Pathak tells us. It was his producer-father Kumar Mangat Pathak who suggested that he helm the Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Akshaye Khanna-led sequel to Drishyam (2015), which in turn was a remake of Mohanlal’s 2013 Malayalam film of the same name.

“I wondered, ‘Why should I make it?’ Jeethu [Joseph] sir made the 2013 Malayalam original, and [the late] Nishikant [Kamat] made the Hindi adaptation. I wasn’t sure [about helming the sequel]. It is a huge responsibility and challenge to do something that has already been done. Putting your stamp is important,” says the director.

After much deliberation, he decided to take up the challenge of adapting the 2021 Malayalam sequel for the Hindi audience. “The lead characters [had to be true] to what they did in Drishyam. Also, the plot had to be retained. The only way I could step [out of the box] was with Akshaye’s character. When you adapt a film that people have loved, you have to make it in such a way that they enjoy your narrative too.”

He had the advantage of having among the finest talents on board. “Ajay sir comes to the set well-prepared. When I narrated the screenplay to Akshaye, he knew what I had in mind for his role and how I’ll treat it.”

Now that Mohanlal and director Jeethu Joseph have announced the third instalment of their thriller franchise, will the Hindi Drishyam 3 follow soon? “If we want to do [a Hindi version], it’s better that [the two films] come together. They have a script in place; we can work together.”