Writing a Drishyam film was never going to be easy, but Aamil Keeyan Khan says Drishyam: The Conclusion pushed him further than either of the previous two instalments combined. The screenwriter, who co-wrote the film with director Abhishek Pathak and Parveez Shaikh, revealed he lost count of how many drafts the script went through, somewhere north of a hundred, with file names eventually spiralling into things like “FINAL,” “FINAL 2,” and finally, “FINAL PLEASE GOD.”

Unlike the first two Hindi films, which were adapted from Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam originals, this third instalment had to stand on its own original story. That, Khan said, is exactly what made it so much harder to crack. “It was an enormous mountain to climb,” he admitted.

Keeping the twist under wraps turned out to be its own battle entirely, one fought largely against the people closest to him. “A lot of actors and crew from the film, and my own friends and relatives, tried to bribe me for the ending,” Khan revealed, though he stayed firm throughout. He couldn’t resist a cheeky comparison to the franchise’s own corrupt cop, joking, “But like Gaitonde, I remained honest and loyal to the producers,” referencing the character played by Kamlesh Sawant across all three films.

Khan’s association with the franchise goes back to his screenwriting debut on Drishyam 2 in 2022, and he’s since become something of a regular in Ajay Devgn’s camp, having also written Shaitaan. That history with director Abhishek Pathak clearly helped this time around too, with Khan noting the two now share enough of a shorthand that they often understand each other’s thoughts before a sentence is even finished.

The effort has paid off handsomely at the box office. Drishyam: The Conclusion, released on October 2, has already surpassed the lifetime collection of the very first film in the franchise, and continues racing toward the Rs 300 crore mark worldwide.

Also Read: Drishyam: The Conclusion Box Office Day 3: Ajay Devgn’s Film Sets New Box Office Records