Drishyam 3 Cast Fees & Budget: Mohanlal Charges ₹20 Crore, Know How Much Other Actors Earned

The highly anticipated third installment of the Drishyam franchise is all set to hit theatres on May 21, bringing back one of Malayalam cinema’s most celebrated thrillers. Directed by Jeethu Joseph, Drishyam 3 marks the return of Mohanlal as Georgekutty alongside Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil and Asha Sharath.

Ahead of the film’s release, reports around the cast remuneration have started making headlines, with Mohanlal reportedly emerging as the highest-paid actor in the franchise by a huge margin.

According to a report in Times Now, the superstar has charged nearly Rs 20 crore for Drishyam 3. The reported figure marks a massive jump from what he earned during the earlier films in the series. When the first Drishyam released in 2013, Mohanlal reportedly took home between Rs 5 crore and Rs 6 crore. For Drishyam 2, his remuneration was said to be around Rs 10 crore to Rs 12 crore. Now, with the franchise becoming a nationwide phenomenon, the actor’s fee has reportedly doubled once again.

The film franchise has expanded tremendously over the past 13 years, gaining popularity far beyond Malayalam cinema through multiple remakes and streaming success. Drishyam 2, which premiered directly on Prime Video during the COVID-19 pandemic, further strengthened the franchise’s fan base across the country.

Apart from Mohanlal, other cast members have also reportedly received significant hikes for the third installment. Actress Meena, who essays the role of Rani Georgekutty, is said to have started the franchise with a fee ranging between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. Reports now suggest she has charged around Rs 75 lakh for the upcoming film.

Meanwhile, Esther Anil, who plays Anu, has reportedly maintained a fee of around Rs 25 lakh across the films. Ansiba Hassan, known for portraying Anju in the series, has reportedly charged Rs 1 crore for Drishyam 3.

According to reports, the Malayalam version of Drishyam 3 has been mounted on a budget of nearly Rs 100 crore.

The upcoming thriller has already received a U/A 13+ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification ahead of its theatrical release. The story will once again follow Georgekutty and his family as they continue dealing with suspicion surrounding the disappearance of a senior police officer’s son.

Both previous films in the franchise were praised for their gripping storytelling, suspense-driven screenplay and unexpected twists. Along with critical acclaim, the films also emerged as major commercial successes.

The original Malayalam film released in 2013, while the sequel arrived in 2021. Over the years, the franchise has been adapted into several languages including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The Hindi adaptation stars Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta and Mrunal Jadhav. While the first Hindi film was directed by Nishikant Kamat, Abhishek Pathak later took over the franchise following the filmmaker’s death. The Hindi version of Drishyam 3 is scheduled to release on October 2 this year.