With Drishyam 3 releasing on May 21, the franchise is generating the kind of pre-release conversation that goes beyond box office numbers. Actress Meena, who plays Rani opposite Mohanlal’s Georgekutty, has now revealed that she almost didn’t take the role at all — and that it was Mammootty, not director Jeethu Joseph, who changed her mind.
Speaking ahead of the release, Meena said the initial approach came when her daughter was just two years old. “When I was asked to act in Drishyam, I said no. What a foolish thing I said, I think now,” she said. The reason was straightforward — she didn’t want to leave her young daughter for a shoot. Producer Antony Perumbavoor assured her every accommodation would be made, but she remained uncertain.
What shifted the equation was a conversation with Mammootty before Jeethu Joseph had even come to meet her. “Mammootty told me it was a good character and that it would suit me well, and that Jeethu would come and narrate the story,” Meena recalled. Even after that, she had doubts about whether she could do full justice to the role. She eventually said yes to Rani — a decision that, in hindsight, shaped one of the most beloved characters in the franchise.
The Numbers Around Drishyam 3
The film has already crossed ₹25 crore in worldwide advance bookings, with over 350,000 tickets sold on BookMyShow alone as of Tuesday. The film entered the ₹350 crore club in pre-sales even before shooting wrapped — a figure that reflects how thoroughly the franchise has outgrown its Malayalam-thriller origins.
Panorama Studios holds worldwide theatrical and digital rights. Jeethu Joseph, who has written and directed all three parts, previously noted that Drishyam 3 is not “a heavy intelligent film” in the way the first two were — describing it instead as a story about the changes in Georgekutty’s life four years on. Whether that tonal shift lands with audiences is the question May 21 will answer.
The cast includes Meena, Esther Anil, Ansiba, Murali Gopi, Asha Sarath, Siddique, Shanthi Mayadevi, Veena Nandakumar, and Shiva Hariharan. Mammootty, the man who nudged Meena toward the role that helped build this franchise, won’t be in the theatre to watch it — but his fingerprints are on it all the same.
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