Paatal Lok - 2020

Introduction

Paatal Lok is an Indian Hindi crime web series on Amazon Prime Video created by Sudip Sharma. The series is about a disgruntled police officer who has a case of a failed assassination attempt. Paatal Lok takes the mythological aspect of Swarg Lok (Heaven), Dharti Lok (Earth), and Paatal Lok (Hell) and hints at different classes of society with this metaphor.

Paatal Lok received rave reviews from critics and was extremely appreciated for its inspirational performances, plot, script, and direction. Although the audience has seen only one season of this amazing web series, the wait for the next season is awaited. The series was included in the Top 10 Indian Web Series of 2020 and was also chosen as one of the best international TV shows of 2020.

Table of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Predictions

• Controversy

• Reviews and Ratings

• Awards

• Interesting Facts

• Conclusion

Details

Story

PlayHathiram Chowdhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) is a struggling cop stuck at a dead-end job. Both his career and personal life take a sudden turn when he is tasked with investigating someone plotting to assassinate primetime journalist Sameer Mehra (Neeraj Kabi). The four suspects include Vishal Tyagi (Abhishek Banerjee), Tope Singh (Jagjeet Sandhu), Mary Lyngdoh (Mairembam Ronaldo Singh), and Kabir M (Aasif Khan).

As the investigation progresses, one of the suspects mysteriously dies, and the case hits a dead end. Undeterred, Chowdhury refuses to give up and decides to keep the affair a secret. We get to the suspect's shocking past and the looming possibility of a connection to the underworld.

The rest of the story unfolds as Chaudhary attempts to solve a multifaceted case. The story also touches on issues of caste discrimination, child abuse, and the plight of transgender people.

Release

Anushka Sharma released an announcement on 24 April 2020, and the teaser of Paatal Lok was also released on the same day. The first poster came out on 3 May 2020, and the official trailer was released on 4 May 2020 on YouTube.

Paatal Lok was released through Amazon Prime Video on 15 May 2020,  with the first episode being released on 14 May. The running time is 43 – 53 minutes, and the total number of episodes is 9.

Cast

• Jaideep Ahlawat as Hathiram Chaudhary

• Gul Panag as Renu Chaudhary

• Bodhisattva Sharma as Siddharth Chaudhary

• Ishwak Singh as Imran Ansari

• Neeraj Kabi as Sanjeev Mehra

• Swastika Mukherjee as Dolly Mehra

• Niharika Lyra Dutt as Sara Matthews

• Abhishek Banerjee as Vishal Hathoda Tyagi

• Jagjeet Sandhu as Tope Singh 

• Aasif Khan as Kabir M

• Mairembam Ronaldo Singh 

• Vipin Sharma as DCP Bhagat

• Anurag Arora as SHO Virk

• Akash Khurana as Singh Saab

• Manish Choudhary as Vikram Kapoor

• Sandeep Mahajan as Dahiya

• Rajesh Sharma as Gwala Gujjar

Crew

Created by  - Sudip Sharma

Written by - Sudip Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, Gunjit Chopra

Directed by  - Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy

Composers  - Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor

Producers - Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Ssharma

Cinematography - Avinash Arun, Saurabh Goswami

Editor - Sanyukta Kaza

Production Company - Clean Slate Filmz

Character Analysis 

Hathi Ram Chaudhary, Inspector, Outer Jamuna Paar Region

Hathi Ram Chaudhary is tough, rebellious, reckless, and persistent. He seeks social approval and learns and grows on a personal level as the series progresses. Hathi Ram Chaudhary battles the systems that undermine him, trying to find purpose in the process, and eventually grows into a truth seeker.

Hathi Ram Chaudhary gains power through self-understanding. A rugged exterior rooted in patriarchy with innate warmth and humanity defines his character. 

Sanjeev Mehra, TV Journalist (Editor, NBW News)

Educated, powerful, elite, smart, power-hungry, and crafty, Sanjeev Mehra lives up to the quintessential survival of the fittest. He surrenders his idealism of power and status to survive and attain a powerful position.

Work, for him, is a means to an end, and his patriarchal mindset defines his profession. He has all the characteristics of a dominant social role that revolves around the need for power and control, heterosexuality, and a strong patriarchal dividend. 

Tope Singh a.k.a. Chaaku

A petty criminal, Tope Singh is an aggressive macho man with a penchant for a dangerous life who uses bloodshed to combat caste-based oppression to establish power. He indulges in sexist slurs and has a strong patriarchal attitude.

Caste discrimination and lack of social status make Tope Singh a rebel against marginalized positions. 

Vishal/Hathoda Tyagi, Hitman

Hathoda Tyagi is a misfit who rises to power through cruelty and ruthless violence. He is quiet, stoic, loyal, and ruthless. He exhibits all the hallmarks of a culturally hegemonic man who wants to avenge his sister's attacks.

His character is a portrayal of extreme violence, lack of fear or remorse, and emotionally repressed behavior. He falls short of social boundaries due to his deviant and undesirable behavior. 

Mary Lyngdoh a.ka. Cheeni, Masseuse

As a transgender, Mary had a rough and abusive childhood on the streets but is trying to move up the social ladder. Her mission is to earn enough money for sex change surgery.

Mary's lack of power stems from three sources. The first is that she is transgender, and because she is trying to identify as a woman, she is automatically considered a prostitute. Second, there is the backstory of Mary's child sexual abuse, and third, she is called Nepali and Cheeni because of her facial features. Mary's sexuality works against her. 

Predictions

Anushka Sharma hints at a second season of Paatal Lok, stating that the audience is hungry for good content, and the team of Paatal Lok wants to push the boundaries when it comes to content. Season 1 has received rave reviews from both viewers and critics. The makers have hinted at Paatal Lok season 2 but don’t want to reveal too much, but there will be a second season if Amazon is ready.

Controversy 

• There was a massive controversy regarding an ethnic slur in the 2nd episode because of an MP from Sikkim wrote to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting about the matter.  AAPGYA filed a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission, and a legal notice was also sent by the Lawyers Guild. A ban was demanded.

• Another controversy was raised by Manjinder Singh Sirsa, former Akali Dal MLA, and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee president, for maligning Sikhs. A notice was filed against the makers at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in June 2020.

• Paatal Lok was also slammed for allegedly promoting and encouraging Hinduphobia.

Ratings and Reviews

The IMDb rating of Paatla Lok is 8.0/10, based on 60K Ratings. The series received rave reviews from critics and audiences across the globe.

According to the ratings, this investigative drama manages to hold your attention till the end. It is meticulously crafted, with mind-blowing performances. The Indian Directors have mastered the art of connecting stories with day to day life of common people, which has been highly appreciated by the masses.

Awards 

Interesting Facts

• It marked Anushka Sharma's debut as a web series producer.

• HuffPost India and The Indian Express ranked Paatal Lok among the Best Hindi Movies/Series of 2020.

• Sudip Sharma and Avinash Arun met at Chandigarh Literature Festival and decided to shoot this series.

Conclusion 

While it's heartening to see Indian streaming media portray different masculinities, it's also worth noting the primacy of the strong over the weak. The idea of ​​third-gender exclusion and heavy patriarchy runs through hierarchies and is reinforced by the show. 

The series forces us to contemplate how multi-layered humans are. Pataal Lok is one of the best web series and will be considered a cult classic, with its powerful screenplay, brilliant storyline, and commendable performances.