How October 2 became a pop-culture meme thanks to Drishyam
Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak celebrated the film’s 10th anniversary on X, writing: “A decade later, and we’re still asking… 2nd October ko kya hua tha?”
October 2nd, also celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, has become a recurring pop-culture reference for fans of Ajay Devgn's Drishyam, the Hindi adaptation of Mohanlal's Malayalam blockbuster, thanks to a clever plot twist in the 2015 film.
In Drishyam, Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn), a school dropout-turned-businessman in Goa, lives a peaceful life with his wife Nandini (Shriya Saran) and their two daughters. The story takes a dramatic turn when the family becomes involved in the disappearance of Sam, the son of Inspector-General Meera Deshmukh (Tabu).
To protect his family, Vijay fabricates a detailed alibi tied to October 2. When questioned, his elder daughter Anju (Ishita Dutta) claims that the family travelled to Panaji to attend a satsang at Swami Chinmayanand's ashram, had pav bhaji for lunch, stayed overnight, and returned on October 3. The family supports the story with bus tickets, movie stubs, and restaurant bills, rehearsing it to perfection.
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The alibi, referenced repeatedly throughout the film, turned October 2 into a cinematic shorthand for secrecy and clever plotting, sparking a decade-long meme trend on social media.
Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak celebrated the film's 10th anniversary on X, writing: "A decade later, and we're still asking… 2nd October ko kya hua tha?" Fans continue to recall the day each year, cementing it as a playful pop-culture moment in Indian cinema.
