Abhishek Pathak has taken an unusual route to the top rung of Hindi thriller filmmaking. From producing films such as Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Section 375 and Khuda Haafiz to directing Ujda Chaman, Drishyam 2 and now Drishyam: The Conclusion, his trajectory has increasingly been defined by films built around strong hooks, heightened conflict and audience engagement.
With Drishyam: The Conclusion now in theatres, the conversation around Pathak has moved again. Reviews have specifically pointed to the film’s suspense, controlled direction, callbacks and ability to keep viewers engaged with its central mystery. One review described his direction as “assured” and noted how the film makes audiences pay attention to even the smallest details, while another praised him for understanding the franchise’s DNA without simply recycling its formula. Here are five reasons Pathak is becoming a filmmaker to watch in the thriller space.
1. He understands that suspense is about the audience, not just the twist
Pathak’s Drishyam films are built around a simple but increasingly difficult proposition: keep an audience guessing even when it arrives determined to figure the film out first. That becomes particularly relevant with The Conclusion, where viewers have spent years dissecting Vijay Salgaonkar’s methods and constructing theories around the franchise. The film’s climax and twists have already emerged as major talking points among early viewers, with reactions repeatedly highlighting the element of surprise. Pathak has also taken extraordinary precautions around the film’s ending, including keeping the climax under wraps from sections of his own crew. The secrecy wasn't merely a marketing device; it was part of protecting the viewing experience of a thriller whose audience was actively looking for clues.
2. He knows how to work inside an established franchise without simply repeating it
The easiest way to make a third Drishyam would have been to reproduce the machinery audiences already know. Pathak instead chose to take the Hindi franchise in a different direction from the Malayalam Drishyam 3. That decision has been noticed in the reviews. Reviews pointed out that the Hindi film moves more quickly towards its central conflict, while Filmfare noted that Pathak has chosen to play by his own rules. Another review praised the film for not resting on the laurels of its predecessors and for using callbacks while still subverting audience expectations.
3. He has an instinct for pressure-cooker storytelling
Pathak's thrillers tend to put their protagonists under progressively greater pressure and then keep tightening the screws. Drishyam 2 was built around the fear that Vijay Salgaonkar's carefully constructed defence could finally unravel; The Conclusion pushes that premise further by introducing a fresh threat in Jaideep Ahlawat's Rajveer. Early reviews have repeatedly identified this as one of the film's strengths. The result is a thriller whose engine is not simply “what is the twist?” but how long can Vijay stay ahead of the people closing in on him?
4. He trusts details to do the heavy lifting
One of the defining characteristics of the Drishyam franchise is that seemingly insignificant details can acquire importance later. Pathak has leaned into that grammar rather than overwhelming the film with exposition. Reviews have picked up on the same quality. The film scatters evidence like a crime scene and makes even smaller characters and moments count. The review also highlights the film's callbacks and its ability to make viewers pay attention to every character. It is particularly valuable in a franchise where audiences are conditioned to remember a line, a glance or an apparently throwaway detail. Pathak understands that the thriller works best when the viewer is doing some of the detective work too.
5. He has figured out how to make a thriller feel theatrical
Perhaps the biggest change in Pathak's positioning is commercial. Drishyam 2 opened to 15.38 crore in 2022 and went on to become a major Hindi hit. Four years later, The Conclusion entered release with exceptionally strong advance bookings and trade projections of a 50 crore-plus opening. That kind of anticipation is not generated by the genre alone. It comes from creating a franchise where audiences believe they have to be in the theatre to experience the next reveal rather than simply wait for it to arrive on a streaming platform.
And that may be Pathak's most interesting evolution yet - he isn't merely making thrillers that work; he is making audiences feel that the next twist is worth leaving home for.
