A decade after its release, ‘Drishyam’ to be remade in Korean

After all, many believe it kicked off a niche genre called “family thriller”, even though Jeethu Joseph chose to continue to slot it as a “drama”.

After its sequel in Malayalam was released in 2021, the Hindi version of the sequel also was released in 2023. 

A Korean remake

A still from the Malayalam film ‘Drishyam’. (Supplied)

Now, Indian production banner Panorama Studios, which produced the Hindi version of Drishyam, and Anthology Studios from South Korea have partnered for the remake of the Drishyam franchise in South Korea. 

An official announcement to that end was made at the India Pavilion during the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

The heads of the studios — Kumar Mangat Pathak and Jay Choi — shared the new development. 

Pathak had acquired multiple language rights for Drishyam. He said that he was looking forward to taking the film franchise to South Korea.

“I’m excited that the Drishyam franchise is being made in Korean, a first for a Hindi film. This will not only increase its reach outside India, but will also put Hindi cinema on the global map. All these years, we have been inspired by Korean fare, and now they have found a muse in one of our films. What can be a bigger achievement for the Indian film fraternity,” Pathak said in a statement.

It is official #Drishyam to be remade In Korean language by #PanoramaStidios & #AnthologyStudios announces by producers at #CannesFilmFestival.
The @Mohanlal–#JeethuJoseph directed film becomes the most remade film in India! pic.twitter.com/vW0gStBD0Q

— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) May 21, 2023

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Partnership with Anthology Studios

Hindi remake of ‘Drishyam’. (Supplied)

Choi co-founded Anthology Studios with Parasite (2019) star Song Kang-ho and acclaimed director Kim Jee-Woon.

“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to remake a massively successful Hindi film with a touch of originality from Korean cinema. And the remake has greater significance as the first major co-production between Korea and India. Through our partnership, we will be able to bring the best of both Indian and Korean cinema and make a meaningful remake that is as excellent as the original,” Choi said.

US-based Jack Nguyen, former Warner Bros executive, is expected to serve as executive producer on the Korean remake of Drishyam. 

“I have a history with and the utmost respect for these highly-regarded producers so it was a natural fit for me to bring them together to collaborate on a great story in Drishyam. I’m excited to help them make history with this first-of-its-kind Indian-Korean co-production,” said Nguyen.

Remade in other foreign languages 

Jeethu Joseph, director of the original Malayalam film, also shared the news via his social media profile.

The director is now busy with his upcoming movie Ram, which will have Mohanlal in the lead.

Antony Perumbavoor, the producer of the Malayalam version of the Drishyam series, had said that Drishyam 3 would also happen. 

Drishyam was remade in the Sinhala language as Dharmayuddhaya (2017) and in Chinese as Sheep Without a Shepherd (2019). It became the first Indian film to be remade in Mainland China.

An Indonesian remake was announced in September 2021, making it the first Indian film to be remade in Bahasa Indonesia. 

Upon its release on 19 December 2013, Drishyam received widespread critical acclaim and was the first Malayalam film to collect ₹50 crore at the box office. 

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