3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Mar 23, 2026 08:19 PM IST
Superstar Mohanlal took to Instagram on Monday to make it official. “The past never stays silent, it only waits. Georgekutty arrives, May 21st 2026. Drishyam 3, Worldwide Release,” he wrote, putting an end to weeks of speculation around one of the most anticipated Malayalam releases of the year.
The announcement confirmed what trade circles had been discussing since mid-March. Drishyam 3 was scheduled to release on April 2, but ongoing tensions in the Middle East forced the team to reconsider, with May 21 emerging as the new release date.
The Gulf region is not a peripheral market for Malayalam cinema. It is one of its most important, and releasing a film of this scale without access to those screens was not a risk the producers were willing to take.
The situation between Iran, Israel, and the United States had made theatrical releases in the region difficult, and with Malayalam films often generating more revenue in the Gulf than in other parts of India, the makers chose to wait rather than rush.
Everything you should know about Drishyam 3
Drishyam 3 is written and directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Aashirvad Cinemas. It is the third and final installment in the Drishyam franchise, picking up the story of Georgekutty roughly four and a half years after the events of the second film.
The returning cast includes Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Murali Gopy, and Siddique, all reprising their roles from the earlier films.
Principal photography began on September 22, 2025, at Sree Narayana Law College in Poothotta, Ernakulam, and wrapped on December 2, 2025. The shoot took place across Thodupuzha, Vagamon, Ernakulam, and Thiruvalla. Notably, Mohanlal began work on the film just a day before receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema’s highest honour.
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In February 2026, Jeethu Joseph confirmed that Drishyam 3 would be the final film in the franchise. This was a shift from what he had said around the time of the second film’s release, when he suggested a third part would not be the conclusion of Georgekutty’s story. The change of position appears to be a deliberate creative decision to close the chapter on the character’s terms rather than leave it open-ended indefinitely.
Producer Antony Perumbavoor has said that the decision to proceed with a third installment came after extensive discussions, and only after detailed conversations with Jeethu did they move forward with the project.
For a franchise that has never had to fight for attention, the delay may ultimately work in its favour. The first Drishyam, released in 2013, set a new benchmark for Malayalam thrillers. The second, released during the pandemic in 2021, drew record-breaking viewership on OTT. The third arrives with the weight of both behind it, and an audience that has been waiting, much like Georgekutty himself, with patience.
