Twice as nice

In June 2023, reports first emerged that Mohanlal and Ajay Devgn would simultaneously work on the Malayalam and Hindi versions of Drishyam 3. A couple of months ago, Jeethu Joseph, director of the Malayalam original, revealed that while he has an idea to end the third edition of the thriller franchise, he is yet to crack the screenplay. Now, it looks like Aamir Khan and Tamil superstar  Suriya might make Ghajini 2 sooner. Reportedly, Madhu Mantena, the producer of the 2008 Hindi film, pitched an idea to Aamir, who liked it and asked him to develop the script. On the other hand, Allu Aravind, who backed the 2005 Tamil original, approached Suriya, who was excited by the idea of taking the narrative forward. With major star films releasing pan-India, both Madhu and Aravind are now keen to make the Hindi and Tamil versions simultaneously. “The Tamil film releasing earlier would take away the novelty from the Hindi version. Moreover, the team of the Hindi film is looking to avoid the remake tag. Taking these factors into account, the producers felt it would be best to make the two movies around the same time,” said a source. He also added that both Suriya and Aamir have been kept in loop regarding the plan. Aamir’s Ghajini was the first Hindi film to cross the Rs 100-crore mark at the domestic box-office.

Double exit