The reason why the first season of Paatal Lok worked immensely was that it approached a seemingly impossible investigation most believably and also through a character who wasn’t a superhero. The palpable perseverance of Hathiram Chaudhary to go to any extent to find the closure he sought was presented with great finesse by the makers, and the conclusion of that season had this unique blend of despair and hope. When it comes to the second season, where we have our relentless Chaudhary going after another network of criminals with a complicated history, that soul of Paatal Lok is maintained, and writer Sudip Sharma and director Avinash Arun deliver yet another riveting season that just holds your attention from the word go.
After the events in the first season, Hathiram Chaudhary is back at his office, and his associate Imran Ansari is now an IPS officer above him. At one point, Chaudhary goes after the case of a missing man named Raghu Paswan. Parallelly, there was a high-profile murder investigation happening, which was led by Ansari. It was the murder of a Nagaland leader who came to Delhi to be a part of a business summit that was aimed at attracting investors to Nagaland. The paths of Chaudhary and Anasari’s cases crossed at one point, and what we see in this season is their efforts to find the murderer of the Nagaland leader Jonathan Thom.
Be it the first season or this new one, the story here has this intriguing way of connecting the top-tier people and the underprivileged in a very fascinating way. And just like the audience, Hathiram Chaudhary is just a man who is in disbelief of these realities. The writing has so many characters and layers that the final episode feels like a series of closures of different kinds. And from a creative perspective, you kind of feel envious of the makers for being able to create such a script that has a collection of winning moments.
Like any great creation, it is the writing that does the magic here, and I loved the fact there isn’t a single wasted character or even a shot that has no purpose. There is this young boy, Guddu, whom Hathiram brings home at one point in the story, and we can even have a discussion about his life, his impact on Hathiram’s life, and his parents’ life. Be it the guy who helps Hathiram in Nagaland or SP Meghana Barua’s right-hand Isaac, every character has a backstory, and with minimal scenes or dialogues, Sudip Sharma and his writers Rahul Kanojia, Abhishek Banerjee, and Tamal Sen manages to create a broad world in front of us.
The investigation of the murder of Thom is, of course, the main track that leads the series forward. And the placement of the politics and exploitation of the mysterious North-East is pretty intriguing. Since Hathiram is a very normal human being who has difficulties in accepting certain socially taboo elements, the writing of the series had to present his understanding of those aspects realistically, and with a pinch of humor and abuse, the series cracks those areas smoothly. Sudip Sharma and his creations are known for their political stand, and there are these hilarious moments like Chaudhary making someone break a lock, convincing him that it was an act of patriotism. In another scene, one can see a Nagaland rebel beating Hindi-speaking Chaudhary for not answering the questions he asked in Nagamese.
There is a set visual language Avinash Arun had given to the series, and the choice of colors really imbibes the mood the series wants to portray. The lighting rarely has that staged feel, and the framing mostly opts for gentle pans and static shots. The onlooker perspective of the cinematography really enhances the thrills in the story. The screenplay is structured in a way that the multiple tracks about various people we have seen through all these episodes get closure in the final one, and the editing keeps us invested in the development of the story rather than thinking about what happened to the other guy. The execution of action blocks and mob scenes was done with great precision, and one could really feel the tension.
Jaideep Ahlawat, as Hathiram Chaudhary, performs the aged man with a relentlessness that doesn’t match his health so believably. Chaudhary is not necessarily your ideal hero. He has his ego, and he is aware of that fact. Ahlawat performs this panting central character with all the health issues of a middle-class Indian man with great conviction, and one can see the soul of the series in Chaudhary. Which is having a sense of hope, even after knowing there is so little you can do to fix the rotten system. Ishwak Singh reprises his role as Ansari, and the evolution of the bond between these two was so lovely to watch on screen.
Gul Panag, as Chaudhary’s wife Renu, delivered a memorable performance. Sudip Sharma has managed to cast some great filmmakers this season as actors, and the performances of Jahnu Barua and Nagesh Kukunoor really worked in favor of the series. Tilotama Shome is one of the major additions to the cast of the second season, and she performed the part of Meghna Barua convincingly. Indian Idol Season 3 winner Prashant Tamang also played a crucial character in the series along with several other actors who were perfectly cast for their respective roles.
I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Paatal Lok is a textbook for those who want to write rooted, culture-sensitive, investigative thrillers with political undertones. If they can release some videos about how they approached this intricate yet heartfelt story on a writing level, I feel it would be really helpful for aspiring writers and might make people appreciate the craft even better. Hathiram Chaudhary’s Nagaland journey is riveting, heartening, and thought-provoking.
I wouldn't hesitate to say that Paatal Lok is a textbook for those who want to write rooted, culture-sensitive, investigative thrillers with political undertones.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended