No, Drishyam is not based on a true story. Drishyam is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language thriller drama film directed by Nishikant Kamath. The movie is produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak and Ajit Andre. It features Ajay Devgn in the lead role, alongside an ensemble of cast, including Shriya Saran and Tabu.
Drishyam is the official Hindi remake of the 2013 Malayalam movie, Drishyam, directed by Jeetu Joseph and featuring Mohanlal in the lead role. Both the Malayalam original and its Hindi remake are fictional. There is no evidence that the plot is based on any real murder mystery.
Plot Summary
Vijay Salgaonkar is a self-made man who runs a small cable TV business in Goa. He lives with his devoted wife Nandini and two daughters, Anju and Anu. Trouble begins for the Salgaonkar family when Anju is secretly recorded nude during a school nature camp by a fellow student, Rishabh Deshmukh, who is the spoiled son of the powerful Inspector General of Police, Meera Deshmukh.
Sameer uses the video to demand sexual favours from Anju. One night he enters the Salgaonkar residence to pressurise Anju for the same. However, during a scuffle, Anju accidently kills Sameer. Nandini and Anju bury the body in a compost pit in their backyard. When Vijay Salgaonkar learns of the incident, he takes charge and creates an illusion or drishyam to protect his family.
The story then revolves around the ingenious ways by which Vijay Salgaonkar fabricates evidences and creates alibis. The police, led by IG Meera Deshmukh, suspects him and his family but he anticipates all their moves and coaches his family accordingly. In a dramatic turning point, Anu breaks under threat and reveals the location of Sameer’s body. However, when the police dig up the compost pit, they find the remains of a dead calf, not Sam.
In a brilliant final twist, flashback reveals the location where Vijay Salgaonkar shifted Sameer’s body, leaving the audience shocked.
Key Facts About Drishyam’s Origin
Some critics and observers have pointed out similarities between Drishyam and a Japanese novel “The Devotion of Suspect X” by Keigo Hagashino . As per their views, there are conceptual similarities in the idea of a smart cover-up to protect a family member. However, the original creator of Drishyam, Jeetu Joseph, has stated in interviews that Drishyam is not copied from any book or film.
While Drishyam is itself not based on any real crime, there are several cases in India where the criminals tried to copy the methods shown in the movie to hide their crimes.