Drishyam The Conclusion Review: It's Vijay vs Goa Police once again, but who will win this time?

Drishyam 3 review: Ajay Devgn returns as Vijay Salgaonkar, but Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj steal the spotlight in a thrilling yet flawed finale.

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Jaideep Ahlawat, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Prakash Raj, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Kamlesh Sawant

Director: Abhishek Pathak

Drishyam, by now, has become a cult. The audience loved how an ordinary man outwitted the police to hide a murder. Now, is Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) right in doing whatever he has done? That is a morally ambiguous question that probably heightens the audience's thrill, but would the consequences really catch up to him? That's what everyone worried about when Drishyam 2 came out. And yes, the film could have well ended there. But, here we are, with a third part, but the story concludes here. The question still stays relevant - will the police finally be able to outwit Vijay?

Of course, I won't divulge that answer here. But with Jaideep Ahlawat stepping in as the no-nonsense SP Rajveer Tomar, the face-off feels amazing. In fact, let's skip discussing the plot altogether, because let the thriller be the thriller, and you'll know what to expect. But, coming back to Ahlawat, what an addition to the cast he has been. His performance looks easy, and he just proves that he is a powerful actor. It won't be an exaggeration to say that he stole the show, despite Ajay Devgn being there. He claims all the attention, at least in the first half.

Devgn, meanwhile, continues to play Vijay with the controlled calm that has become such an important part of the character. He doesn't need to be loud to establish that Vijay is constantly thinking, calculating and trying to stay a step ahead. His stillness works particularly well when placed against Ahlawat's more imposing presence. There is a certain ease in the way Devgn slips back into Vijay, and even when the writing gives him the advantage, his performance keeps the character grounded.

That's because in the second half, you get another powerful performer - Prakash Raj. He plays Indrajith Shetty, a lawyer who has never lost a case in 32 years. What spontaneity of performances, from both of them along with the old cast of Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu and Rajat Kapoor. And of course, Kamlesh Sawant as Gaitonde, who keeps the humour intact.

Now, the natural question is, does Drishyam 3 match up to the first two? The answer is complicated. This is a thriller that's filled with bursts of humour and the audience will actually enjoy the film while being at the edge of their seats. But, this time, director Abhishek Pathak also takes over as the writer, taking the baton from Jeetu Joseph. And while the twists feel a bit predictable (at least some of them), the humour keeps it more entertaining. Also, being the director and writer comes with an advantage - Pathak gets full control over the narrative.

Yet, some part of the humour feels overdone. Not a lot, but yes, there are some where you feel that the humour could have been limited. Not to mention that it might be Vijay Salgaonkar vs Goa Police, but patriarchy seems to be winning here. Otherwise, how do you justify the constant wife jokes? Nothing better for a cheap laugh than wife jokes, isn't it? But Pathak knows his audience well, and he knows that many would laugh, so takes that route. I would have been more glad if that had been eliminated.

The second part - the female characters. The friend I watched the film with casually remarked that both Shriya Saran and Ishita Dutta's characters seem to be there to get Ajay's character in trouble. Well, he's not wrong. Both the women have been given such limited dialogues, and every dialogue seems to prove that both of them are naive, gullible and, well, excuse me for my words, idiots! I get it, the focus needs to be on Devgn's Vijay, and it's not an issue that he gets the best things in the script. But, unfortunately, every woman here is made to look like flowerpots, Tabu included.

The music has also been another problem, at least for me. The crescendos were to heighten the thriller, understandable, but it went so overboard in several sequences. Sometimes, it did feel like someone needed to calm the heck down!

But, does the movie experience feel marred? Not completely. One would still want to watch the final face-off, and bid goodbye to the saga that has become a cult over the last decade.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Drishyam 3 is currently running in cinemas across India.