Drishyam: The Conclusion Screenwriter Aamil Keeyan Khan Tells Us If Ajay Devgn Goes To Space In His Next Movie – FPJ Exclusive |
Drishyam: The Conclusion, the last film of the Hindi thriller franchise, continues to keep the audience hooked in theatres, a testament to both Ajay Devgn’s star power and engaging filmmaking. Today, we turn our attention towards the man responsible for the twists and turns in the movie, the screenwriter for the film, Aamil Keeyan Khan. Khan has an interesting background. He’s been an actor and stand-up comedian, even appearing on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. The breakthrough as a screenwriter came with Runway 34 (2022), in which he also appeared in a cameo role. This was followed by Drishyam 2 (2022), Bholaa (2023) and Shaitaan (2024).In an interaction with The Free Press Journal, he tells us about the making of Drishyam: The Conclusion, occasionally dropping some hilarious one-liners along the way. Excerpts:
Q. What was the brief given to you regarding Drishyam: The Conclusion?
A. There really wasn’t a brief. Abhishek and I had already worked together on Drishyam 2 and then Shaitaan, which he produced, so by now there’s a shorthand between us. We understand each other’s thoughts, occasionally even before the other person has finished saying them. From the beginning, though, one thing was very clear: if this was The Conclusion, it had to feel like one. No half measures, no doors conveniently left open for Drishyam 7: Vijay Goes to Space.
Q. What were the challenges you faced while writing the script?A. It was an enormous mountain to climb. You have a beloved franchise, a family that the audiences have lived with for years, and the legacy of two hugely loved films sitting on your shoulders. And most importantly, how do you surprise an audience for the third time?In the first film, Vijay Salgaonkar is almost a blank slate. Now the audience knows him. They know how his mind works, they know he has tricks up his sleeve, and frankly, they’re suspicious of everything the poor man does.Then there was the challenge of writing an original screenplay while retaining the DNA of Drishyam. It still had to have humour, family, emotion, drama and thrills without any one ingredient swallowing the others. It was a very, very thin tightrope. Thankfully, none of us looked down.
Q. How many rewrites were there?A. I have folders inside folders, drafts with dates, numbers, dates after numbers, and files called things like “FINAL”, “FINAL 2”, “FINAL FINAL” and presumably “FINAL PLEASE GOD”. I have genuinely lost count, but well over a hundred drafts in different forms. Easily.Q. How did the makers ensure that the ending and twists were not leaked?A. Abhishek basically ran the production like Vijay Salgaonkar would. The climax wasn’t given to a large part of the crew. People got information on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes a department only knew what it needed to execute a scene, not necessarily why it was executing it.A lot of actors and crew from the film, and my own friends and relatives, tried to bribe me for the ending. But like Gaitonde, I remained honest and loyal to the producers.Q. Can you tell us something about Ajay Devgn that most people would be unaware of?A. I’ve said this before: the speed of his mind is frightening. He’s probably as sharp as Vijay Salgaonkar. I remember sitting with him during Drishyam 2, discussing another film. Someone called him for a shot, and within seconds, the filmmaker discussing another movie disappeared and Vijay Salgaonkar appeared. He performed the scene, came back, sat down and resumed the conversation almost exactly where we’d left it. There are permanently about seventeen tabs open in his brain, and somehow none of them hang. Q. Your CV includes Shaitaan and Maa. You’re a fan of horror movies?A. I’m a fan of cinema. It just so happened that thrillers and horror were the films offered to me, or perhaps the films producers thought I could be trusted with without causing financial ruin. Ironically, before screenwriting, I was a stand-up comic. If you watch Drishyam: The Conclusion, you might notice little signs that I’m dying to write comedy. I want to write romance, science fiction, drama, everything… but given that a lot of my favourite films are from these genres, thrillers and horrors are home turf of sorts.Q. How and why did you decide to get into screenwriting?A. Low self-esteem and a disdain for 9-to-5 corporate bosses. One of them had to eventually become a career.