Ajay Devgn is returning as Vijay Salgaonkar in Drishyam: The Conclusion, the third film in the popular franchise. During his appearance as a speaker on the second day of FICCI FRAMES, the actor spoke about the challenges faced by Hindi cinema and why filmmakers need to understand how audiences are changing. With more than three decades in the film industry, Devgn said that making a Hindi film can be particularly difficult because its potential audience is spread across different regions, languages and tastes.
“I’m not taking away credit from any other cinema. It is difficult to make films everywhere whether it is international or traditional cinema. But, personally, I feel that making a Hindi film is most difficult because you do not know who your target audience is,” he said.
Devgn explained that regional filmmakers often have a clearer idea about the audience they are making a film for. He pointed out that a Punjabi, Tamil or Telugu film is generally made with a particular region in mind. Hindi films, however, have to reach viewers across a much wider area, where preferences and even ways of thinking can change quickly.
“When you make a Punjabi film, Tamil or Telugu film, you know your audience as it is for a certain region. But for a Hindi film to get numbers, things are not the same, as every 80 to 90 km the language and thought process change. Like, there is mass and class audience, so either one section of the audience likes it or the other doesn’t. Even in international cinema, they know their target audience… But here, we must target everybody, and how do you appeal to everyone?”
The comments come ahead of Drishyam: The Conclusion, which brings back Devgn along with Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav and Kamlesh Sawant. Jaideep Ahlawat, Prakash Raj and Saurabh Shukla join the cast in new roles. The film is written and directed by Abhishek Pathak and is scheduled to release in theatres on October 2, 2026.
Unlike the first two films, the third instalment will not be a direct remake of the Malayalam franchise. Drishyam and Drishyam 2 were based on Mohanlal’s films, while the new film tells a different story. Abhishek Pathak previously explained that he wanted to take the story in a new direction after Drishyam 2.
“The moment Drishyam 2 released, I was sure I wanted to do this differently. I did not want to do a remake because it takes away from your craft. This film is written by me, so it can’t have the tag of a remake.”
