Drishyam 3 director on the film, Ajay Devgn, Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna's exit - EXCLUSIVE

With 'Drishyam 3' set to bring Vijay Salgaonkar's story to its final chapter, director Abhishek Pathak is currently busy wrapping up the film's post-production. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the filmmaker opens up about the pressure of living up to the franchise's legacy, Vijay's evolution, creating a new story, working with Ajay Devgn and Jaideep Ahlawat, and why filmmakers should resist the temptation to follow box-office trends.

He also discusses the challenges of making a suspense thriller in the age of social media and his biggest concern about audiences returning to theatres.With 'Drishyam 3' set to bring Vijay Salgaonkar's story to its final chapter, what are you feeling at the moment? Is it a bundle of nerves, excitement or a mix of emotions?Abhishek Pathak: Right now, honestly, I'm just in the middle of the final leg of my post-production, and I'm really exhausted because so much work is going on.

It's fun to finish off this film because it's been with us for so many years now. And this is the last part that people will come and see in theatres. It's a very mixed feeling, I would say. We're finishing this off, and it's exciting to show the world what we've created.

So, it's a great feeling and very emotional at the same time.

The second part was a huge hit, and taking over as the director of the franchise was also a risk. What kind of expectations do you feel there are from the third part?

So, I think the expectation, I hope they have that kind of thing for sure. I mean, we did what we did with Part 2.

We had a little change in what we did. But when the film came, I just felt that the credit was not fully given. So, I felt we'll do it our way this time, so that we kind of make our own film, our own story and our own screenplay. And I think that was the challenging part.And I think also because of what people are expecting, it would be interesting to give them something which they've not seen, maybe. And I think that was the whole idea behind it — to raise that benchmark by writing this beautifully and giving them the experience of this film in theatres again.

What can audiences expect from Vijay Salgaonkar this time? How has he evolved, especially since you had to create a completely new story while retaining the essence of the characters that has carried through all three parts?

Vijay will be a character who has been living with the same thought — to protect the family. I think that's what people love about him, that he's a man of the family who will stand in front of anyone who comes to even touch the family.That feeling will be there. That evolution will be going up this time, for sure. Of the character, you will see a little madness this time, I think. We've been seeing 'Drishyam 1' and 2, but 3 will be a little more madness with all the characters.

And Vijay, how he's going to figure this out this time — I think the audience is coming for that. I think that's what they're going to enjoy in this film.

You've come a long way as a filmmaker, from making a short film to 'Pyaar Ka Panchnama 2' and now helming a franchise like 'Drishyam'. How do you look at your evolution as a filmmaker?

I actually wanted to become a filmmaker since I was in school, I remember. That evolution keeps happening every single day. Even when you watch a film by some filmmaker, you learn so much.The evolution always keeps happening. And I think that's what we, as filmmakers, should keep to ourselves — that we should never stop learning.That evolution, right from the moment I made my first short film, I got a National Award for that. Then I did 'Pyaar Ka Panchnama' because 'Panchnama' was again a comedy about relationships. But choosing that subject was something which I believed in. And I think that's again the kind of cinema I want to make. The instinct of believing in something which would work is also very important for a filmmaker — to understand what will work for the audience and what they will eventually like.I'm going to keep learning, and I think I'm going to evolve way better than what I am today. Every day I'm going to evolve, and I will keep evolving as a filmmaker with everything I see, I learn and I make.

'Drishyam 3' is a suspense thriller, and in the age of social media, spoilers and scenes can be leaked almost instantly. How do you deal with that challenge?

I think social media works both ways. If you have made a great film, it will help you transfer that to the audience — that it's a good film, go watch it. If you've made a bad film, people will start talking, and it will work against you.The twists and turns or suspense or, you know, these things, I don't know what to talk about it. But obviously, I think the fans would really hold up the excitement to talk about the film on the internet and let people come and enjoy the film. I think you cannot control social media.That's what I can say. I just hope that people are nice to the franchise. I would say they can just be nice to the franchise and let people come and enjoy the film.Because I think, apart from the twists and turns, it's more about the experience they're going to have in the theatre with this film, I feel. Because we, at least in Bollywood, I think we don't have the thriller, which is a masala thriller, where people come and start clapping or whistling. I've seen that kind of reaction in 'Drishyam 2' when I went to theatres and all, where people were really enjoying the film rather than just being part of the procedure or a thriller.

They were just with the character and the film. They were just clapping and whistling.So, I like that this is an experience rather than just all about the twists and turns. People want to come and just be waiting for that moment so they can just go all out to praise Vijay.Social media, you can't control, but it is helpful and it is also a problem for everyone.

You've never really followed the herd. Even 'Pyaar Ka Panchnama' wasn't a trend at the time, but eventually became a trendsetter. How do you strike a balance between understanding what the audience wants and not simply following a trend?

I think the trend is something which is stupid. I don't know why people start following a trend because the trend is already exhausted.

Once that film has come and you're going to make that same film... Maybe I can even tell you, I was writing something, which was one of the subjects I was writing, and suddenly a film came and I said, "Oh shit, it's very similar to that film." I immediately stopped writing it. And people will say that you got inspired from there and caught the trend.So, I think the first thing we, as an industry or filmmakers, need to do is not follow the trend because that's only thinking about the commercial aspect of it — that the audience likes it, that's why the audience will come and pay for it.But suddenly you see 'Obsession' coming. And then suddenly you see 'Hanuman Ansh' coming. And then if you follow the trend, people are tired of watching those films. You have to make a new one. And that's the whole game people are not understanding.Then people start making five films about India-Pakistan or spies, and suddenly the films will start not working at the box office. And then you say, "Why is it not working?" Because you're doing the same thing.

What is your biggest fear as a filmmaker today?

The fear is obviously that people should come to watch films in theatres. In every industry, the number of people coming to theatres is good. Sometimes, good films come here, but sometimes they don't come in numbers. So, the confidence of people making good cinema and entertaining cinema goes down sometimes, I feel.So, I think people need to come to theatres to watch and don't choose just by the idea of watching it on OTT.

I think films are made for theatres.Theatre has to be... I think the culture of watching films there is very important, and it should be there. That culture cannot just be for a few films a year. That culture has to be for every good film which comes to theatres. You cannot just let a filmmaker make a film and then, on a Friday, decide whether to watch it in theatres or on OTT. It will eventually come on OTT.Everyone can't watch the film in theatres. But I think that's my biggest fear.

People need to step out of their house and go to theatres to watch a film.And for that, I think we have to make some good films where they can come and enjoy the film in theatres for that kind of experience. You cannot make a subject or a screenplay or a film with the OTT kind of relaxed vibe where you can sit at home and pause and go back and watch it tomorrow. That urgency of watching that 2-3 hours of content has to be there in theatres.I think then people will come to watch. You cannot make boring films and expect people to come to theatres.

Is the biggest challenge for filmmakers today getting audiences to come to theatres?

I don't think we can really bring audiences to theatres. You actually have to make sure that you are making something which they really want to come and watch. If you make that, then the audience themselves take a good film and go to the theatre. Be it any film.I've not seen that a good film is never a disaster. A good film may earn less.

But a good film craft doesn't make a loss in the theatre. Maybe it might not earn the way they must have thought about it. But then you can't say, "I made a great film but it was boring."Then you can't expect the audience to come to the theatre and say, "I didn't come to the theatre to watch this." Because you didn't make it for the audience of the theatre. The experience of the theatre audience should be different.When you make a film for home, for an OTT, that's a different experience.

The audience of the theatre is a different experience. If you don't know how to give that experience, then you cannot blame the audience, I feel.

You've worked with Ajay Devgn for a long time. How would you describe your actor-director relationship with him?

I think working with Ajay sir has been more of a family jamming session, I would say. We all are very close for a very long time now. Be it a family institution or a work institution, I think we've been working with each other for very long.And that level of trust and confidence that we will give to each other...

It's just not that we're trying to do a film because there's a content which we create and then that content is presented and he likes it. That relationship is very great.I think Jaideep sir also, when he came, he believed in the script. I think that relation was there. The first film was with 'Aakrosh'. So, he did a role in that film where he was playing the goon, and Ajay sir was the CBI guy. And this film was reversed. So, he's at the other end and he's at the other end.

So, that's also interesting to see now. It's great working with these people. They've been great actors, and everyone makes each other comfortable.Ajay sir working with Jaideep after so long, so I think everyone has worked beautifully in this film with each other. Giving me that space and giving me that comfort. But also believing that I have written something brilliant. Like Ajay sir always tells me when I was narrating to him, "This is how it is.

This screenplay will go here. This story will be made like this." Then he always asks me, "Is it working for you?" I say, "Yes, it works for me.

" Then he says, "Okay, if it's working for you, I believe you completely." I think he trusted me too much now. With this film, he's really believed that I know this film really in and out now.

Akshaye Khanna was initially part of the film but eventually backed out, and Jaideep Ahlawat came on board. Did you have to rewrite the entire script to accommodate the new character?

I had to rewrite the entire character and the screenplay. But I think there's a new playground I got to play on with the new character.

Jo hota hai acche ke liye. There's a new playground I had to play on. Obviously, it was written differently. Then there were certain differences in terms of how he wanted to look in the film. And I was not okay with the idea of it. Because I don't want people to laugh at the film. And for me, the film is the most important thing when I'm making a film.

I don't really want to oblige anyone. So, that was one clear thing. This will not be done.

So, I think that's the point we said. It's okay. I'll move on. We'll figure out something else in life. And that's where we took a call that I have to change the character. I will not recast someone in this role because that's something which I will not be able to justify. It's a casting change. It's not going to work for a film like 'Drishyam'. So, I had to rewrite the entire character — the entire journey of this character. And the screenplay also, at a lot of places, because a new character is going to come.

And he has to meet all these people in this world again. It's not that when the 'Drishyam 2' character comes, everyone knows him.That new character will come and know everyone. And he will continue the journey without it becoming boring. Because 'Drishyam' cannot, as a film, give the audience the time for the character to come and meet all of them. That little urgency was always there in my mind while I was writing.It was a challenge to make the screenplay move faster so people don't get bored, and at the same time, beautifully blend this new character into the film where everything was justified.