Short answer: Watch the three Malayalam films in release order: Drishyam (2013), Drishyam 2 (2021) and Drishyam 3 (2026), all written and directed by Jeethu Joseph for Aashirvad Cinemas. Every other version is a remake running on its own parallel track. The one exception is Hindi, whose third part tells a new story.
That last point is where most viewers trip up in 2026. Two "part threes" came out within five months of each other, one in May and one in October, and they are not the same film. This guide maps every version we could confirm, in eight languages, with where each one streams as of Oct 31, 2026.
Drishyam movies in order: quick facts
- 1. Drishyam (2013): Malayalam original. Jeethu Joseph. Mohanlal. JioHotstar (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- 2. Drishyam 2 (2021): Malayalam original. Jeethu Joseph. Mohanlal. Prime Video (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- 3. Drishyam 3 (2026): Malayalam original, dubbed in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Jeethu Joseph. Mohanlal. Prime Video (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Hindi track: Drishyam (2015), Drishyam 2 (2022), Drishyam: The Conclusion (2026). Ajay Devgn
- Other remakes: Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sinhala, Mandarin and Indonesian, listed below
- Producer: Antony Perumbavoor, Aashirvad Cinemas, for all three Malayalam films
1. Drishyam (2013)
Drishyam opened in theatres on December 19, 2013. Mohanlal plays Georgekutty, a family man in a small Idukki town whose love of cinema becomes his toolkit when his family is pulled into a police case. We will not say more than that, because the pleasure of a first watch is the plotting.
- Director and writer: Jeethu Joseph
- Producer: Antony Perumbavoor (Aashirvad Cinemas)
- Where to watch: JioHotstar (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Our take: Start here even if you have seen a remake. The Malayalam film is quieter than its copies, and the small-town texture does a lot of the work: the junction, the police station, the local gossip. Mohanlal plays Georgekutty as an ordinary man who keeps his panic offscreen, and that restraint is the reason the later films can exist at all.
Watch the trailer:
2. Drishyam 2 (2021)
Eight years later the sequel skipped theatres entirely. Drishyam 2 premiered on Prime Video on February 19, 2021, during the pandemic, with Jeethu Joseph writing and directing again and Antony Perumbavoor producing. It picks up the same family years after the first film and asks what living with a secret does to people. You need the first film fresh in your head for this one.
- Director and writer: Jeethu Joseph
- Producer: Antony Perumbavoor (Aashirvad Cinemas)
- Where to watch: Prime Video, its original home (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Our take: Sequels to tight thrillers usually fail because the twist is already spent. This one works because Jeethu Joseph changes the genre underneath you, from crime thriller to a slow study of guilt and gossip, before the plotting returns. It is also the film that took Georgekutty to viewers outside Kerala, since it landed on a streaming service with subtitles on day one.
Watch the trailer:
3. Drishyam 3 (2026)
Drishyam 3 reached theatres on May 21, 2026, Mohanlal's 66th birthday. Unlike the first two, it was not remade in other South Indian languages. It released in Malayalam with dubbed Tamil, Telugu and Kannada versions, as reported by Bollywood Hungama and the Economic Times.
- Director and writer: Jeethu Joseph
- Producer: Antony Perumbavoor (Aashirvad Cinemas)
- Where to watch: Prime Video in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada from June 18, 2026. The Telugu dub is on hold after a court order (as of Oct 31, 2026)
The Telugu hold follows an interim injunction from the Madras High Court on June 17, 2026, on a plea by Rajkumar Theatre Pvt Ltd, as reported by the Indian Express. So if you are a Telugu viewer, the Malayalam version with subtitles is the route for now.
Our take: Dubbing instead of remaking was the right call, and it says a lot about how far Malayalam cinema has travelled since 2013. Ten years ago the story would have been bought and reshot four times. Now the original itself goes out across the South, and viewers get Mohanlal's Georgekutty instead of a local stand-in. Watch the first two films before this one.
Watch the trailer:
The Drishyam remakes, mapped against the originals
Every remake below follows one of the first two Malayalam films. None is a sequel to the Malayalam series, and none needs to be watched alongside it. Pick one language track and stay on it.
Kannada
- Drishya (2014): Directed by P. Vasu. JioHotstar (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Drishya 2 (2021): Directed by P. Vasu. ZEE5 (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Telugu
- Drushyam (2014): Directed by Sripriya. Sun NXT (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Drushyam 2 (2021): Directed by Jeethu Joseph himself. Prime Video (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Tamil
- Papanasam (2015): Directed by Jeethu Joseph. Sun NXT (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Hindi
- Drishyam (2015): Directed by Nishikant Kamat, with Ajay Devgn. Prime Video (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Drishyam 2 (2022): Directed by Abhishek Pathak. Prime Video (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Drishyam: The Conclusion (2026): Directed by Abhishek Pathak. In theatres since October 2, 2026; not streaming yet (as of Oct 31, 2026)
Outside India
- Dharmayuddhaya (Sinhala, 2017): Directed by Cheyyar Ravi
- Sheep Without a Shepherd (Mandarin, 2019): Directed by Sam Quah
- Dharmayuddhaya 2 (Sinhala, 2026): Directed by Aruna Jayawardena, a remake of Drishyam 2, released in Sri Lanka on January 23, 2026
- Ayah, Aku Mau Cerita... (Indonesian, 2026): Falcon Pictures, directed by Danial Rifki, released in Indonesian cinemas on August 20, 2026. Variety called it the first Indonesian adaptation of a Malayalam film
We have not listed Indian streaming for the four international versions because we could not confirm any as of Oct 31, 2026.
Why the two "part threes" are different films
This is the question we get most. Drishyam: The Conclusion is not a remake of Drishyam 3. It is a new story that continues the Hindi Drishyam 2, written by Abhishek Pathak with Aamil Keeyan Khan and Parveez Shaikh, and produced by Panorama Studios with Star Studio18 presenting. Pathak has explained why he chose an original Hindi story over a Drishyam 3 remake.
So the two franchises share their first two chapters and then split. A Malayalam viewer who finishes Drishyam 3 will find a different third act in the Hindi film, and the reverse is true too. We are keeping the details out on purpose, since both are recent.
Our take: The split is the most interesting thing to happen to this franchise. Remakes normally flatten the original. Here the Hindi team, with an audience that had already seen the Malayalam sequel online, was pushed to invent. Whichever track you prefer, watching both third parts back to back is a rare chance to see two writers' rooms solve the same character.
Where to start, by viewer
New to the series and comfortable with subtitles? Watch the three Malayalam films in order, then try the Hindi Conclusion when it streams. Hindi-first viewer? Stay on the Ajay Devgn track, but give the Malayalam Drishyam 3 a try afterwards; it is a separate story. Telugu or Kannada viewers can start with the remakes, though the dub of Drishyam 3 is the cleaner continuation where it is available. If you have already finished Drishyam 3 and want the backstory of the places, our Drishyam shooting locations guide covers Thodupuzha and the police station set.
FAQs
How many Drishyam movies are there?
There are three Malayalam Drishyam films: Drishyam (2013), Drishyam 2 (2021) and Drishyam 3 (2026). Hindi also has three, the last of which, Drishyam: The Conclusion (2026), is an original story. Add Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sinhala, Mandarin and Indonesian remakes and the count of confirmed versions in this guide runs to 15 films.
Do I need to watch Drishyam before Drishyam 2?
Yes. Drishyam 2 picks up the same family years later, and its tension depends on what happened in the first film. Watching it cold will spoil Drishyam and leave you missing half the setups. The same goes for Drishyam 3, which builds on both earlier films. Treat the three as one long story told in release order.
Is Drishyam: The Conclusion a remake of Drishyam 3?
No. Director Abhishek Pathak wrote a new story that continues the Hindi Drishyam 2, with co-writers Aamil Keeyan Khan and Parveez Shaikh. The first two Hindi films were remakes of the Malayalam originals; the third is not. The Hindi film released on October 2, 2026, about four months after the Malayalam Drishyam 3.
Which Drishyam remake came first?
The Kannada Drishya and the Telugu Drushyam both came out in 2014, a year after the Malayalam original. Tamil's Papanasam and the Hindi Drishyam followed in 2015. The Sinhala Dharmayuddhaya arrived in 2017 and the Mandarin Sheep Without a Shepherd in 2019, so the story travelled abroad within six years.
Where can I watch Drishyam 3?
Drishyam 3 has been streaming on Prime Video since June 18, 2026, in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada (as of Oct 31, 2026). The Telugu dub is not streaming because of a Madras High Court interim injunction from June 17, 2026. Telugu viewers can watch the Malayalam version with subtitles.
Malayalam summary
ദൃശ്യം പരമ്പര കാണേണ്ടത് റിലീസ് ക്രമത്തിലാണ്: ദൃശ്യം (2013), ദൃശ്യം 2 (2021), ദൃശ്യം 3 (2026). മൂന്നും ജീത്തു ജോസഫ് എഴുതി സംവിധാനം ചെയ്ത്, ആന്റണി പെരുമ്പാവൂർ നിർമിച്ചവയാണ്. മറ്റു ഭാഷകളിലെ പതിപ്പുകൾ റീമേക്കുകളാണ്. ഹിന്ദിയിലെ ദൃശ്യം: ദ കൺക്ലൂഷൻ ദൃശ്യം 3ന്റെ റീമേക്ക് അല്ല, പുതിയ കഥയാണ്.
