Mohanlal joined the sets of the much-anticipated third instalment of Jeethu Joseph's Drishyam in Kochi on Wednesday, a day after receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest recognition in cinema. The veteran actor, who was honoured in New Delhi on Tuesday, is only the second Malayali to receive the award after the veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 2004.
Arriving at Nedumbassery Airport in Kochi from Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, Mohanlal first visited his mother at his Elamakkara residence before heading to the Drishyam 3’s location. At the Kochi set, his colleagues welcomed him with a simple cake-cutting, after which the actor slipped into character as the "classic criminal" Georgekutty. The first scene filmed reportedly featured Georgekutty arriving at a star hotel in search of a lawyer.
Meanwhile, final preparations are underway for the next schedule in Thodupuzha, where Georgekutty's home, located at Vazhithala, has been readied. The property, which has featured in both earlier instalments, has reportedly been refurbished with new painting, greenery, and an extended veranda. A new air-conditioned room has also been added, in keeping with the character’s evolving circumstances. The house was first identified by director Jeethu in 2013 after an extensive search for a convincing middle-class setting. As in earlier shoots, the owners will restrict themselves to one room while the rest of the home is used for filming.
The Thodupuzha schedule is expected to begin this week and last 30 days. Additional shooting is also planned in Kanjirappally and Vagamon. Production on Drishyam 3 began on Monday with a pooja ceremony at Sree Narayana Law College in Kochi. Speaking at the launch, Jeethu stressed that the new film is not conceived on a larger scale than its predecessors. “This simply looks at where Georgekutty’s family is now, about four or five years later. I am not trying to make something bigger than Drishyam 1 or 2. If you are curious to see how their lives have unfolded, that is reason enough to watch,” he said.
Jeethu also reiterated his reading of the franchise. “I have never really considered Drishyam a thriller. I consider it a family drama. It was the story of two families, and now it is mainly about Georgekutty’s family, their emotional struggles, the after-effects and the drama in their lives. That is what this film is about, only with a crime at its centre.”
Upon his return to Kochi on Wednesday, Mohanlal described the Dadasaheb Phalke honour as “the greatest blessing an artist can receive”. He added, “Honours make me even more humble, and I see this award as inspiration for the journey ahead.”