The milestone
Drishyam: The Conclusion, the third and final film in the Drishyam series, has earned more than Rs 370 crore in India and over Rs 575 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of Ajay Devgn’s career. It arrives alongside Dhamaal 4 as his second consecutive box office hit, a run that is being read as proof of his commercial pull.
That milestone also sharpens a less comfortable pattern.
The post-pandemic scorecard
Since 2020, Devgn has starred in 13 films, excluding cameos and voice roles. Six have been classified as box office successes. Five are sequels, and one, Shaitaan, is a remake.
- Drishyam 2 (2022) – Blockbuster (franchise)
- Shaitaan (2024) – Super hit (remake)
- Singham Again (2024) – Average (franchise)
- Raid 2 (2025) – Hit (franchise)
- Dhamaal 4 (2026) – Hit (franchise)
- Drishyam: The Conclusion (2026) – Blockbuster (franchise)
The original titles tell the other side of the ledger. Runway 34, Thank God, Bholaa, Maidaan and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha are all recorded as flops or disasters. Franchise outings such as Son of Sardaar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2 also underperformed, suggesting that a known brand alone is not a guarantee.
Devgn’s last original, non-franchise success remains Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, released just before the pandemic.
Why the split matters
For a star of Devgn’s standing, the difference between audience love for a character and audience love for a brand is decisive. Drishyam 3 worked within an established suspense premise that had already been proven twice. Singham Again and Dhamaal 4 carry similar recall. Shaitaan came with a successful source story.
The original film is the harder test of a leading man’s ability to open a title without borrowed equity. Since 2020, Devgn has not cleared that bar. The data is too consistent to treat as coincidence.
What to watch next
The slate after Golmaal 5 is where the question gets tested again. The report lists Golmaal 5 as the next franchise release, with two original action films, Ranger and Chauhaan, expected later. There is also a horror thriller in early stages, though details are thin.
For Hindi cinema watchers, the opening day and opening weekend of those originals will be the key indicators. Strong openings would suggest the post-pandemic original-film drought was a project selection problem rather than a star problem. Soft openings would push the industry even further toward established IP.
The Drishyam franchise has handed Devgn a career-best number. The next question is whether he can repeat that outside a known world.
Source: MensXP.com
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