Overview
Paatal Lok is an Indian Hindi-language streaming television series produced by Clean Slate Filmz, the production house founded by actor Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Ssharma. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 15 May 2020. Created and written by Sudip Sharma, the first season was directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. The show is a neo-noir crime thriller that draws on Hindu cosmological imagery, dividing its world into Swarg Lok (heaven), Dharti Lok (earth) and Paatal Lok (the netherworld) to depict the social hierarchies of contemporary India.
Key facts
| Title | Paatal Lok |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime thriller, neo-noir |
| Language | Hindi |
| Created by | Sudip Sharma |
| Directors (Season 1) | Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy |
| Producer | Clean Slate Filmz (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Ssharma) |
| Streaming platform | Amazon Prime Video |
| Season 1 premiere | 15 May 2020 |
| Season 2 premiere | 17 January 2025 |
| Lead actor | Jaideep Ahlawat as Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary |
Background and development
The series was developed by Sudip Sharma, known earlier for screenplays of films such as NH10 and Udta Punjab. Its narrative was loosely inspired by Tarun Tejpal's novel The Story of My Assassins (2009), which examines the lives of low-level criminals hired to kill a journalist. Sharma adapted this premise to construct an original story focused on a Delhi police inspector investigating a botched assassination plot against a high-profile television journalist.
Plot
The first season follows Hathi Ram Chaudhary, a middle-aged inspector posted at the fictional Outer Jamuna Paar police station in Delhi. He is unexpectedly assigned a high-profile case after four suspects are arrested for plotting to kill television anchor Sanjeev Mehra. As Chaudhary, assisted by his junior officer Imran Ansari, traces the backgrounds of the accused — Vishal "Hathoda" Tyagi, Kabir M., Tope Singh and Cheeni — the investigation unspools into a wider story spanning caste violence, communal politics, media manipulation and intelligence agency interference.
The second season shifts much of its action to Nagaland, where Chaudhary investigates the murder of a senior bureaucrat, drawing the narrative into the politics and insurgency history of the North East.
Cast
- Jaideep Ahlawat as Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary
- Neeraj Kabi as Sanjeev Mehra
- Gul Panag as Renu Chaudhary
- Swastika Mukherjee as Dolly Mehra
- Ishwak Singh as Imran Ansari
- Abhishek Banerjee as Vishal "Hathoda" Tyagi
- Jagjeet Sandhu as Tope Singh
- Aasif Khan as Kabir M.
- Mairembam Ronaldo Singh as Cheeni
Production
The series was shot across Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Chitrakoot and other locations in northern India for the first season, while the second season's production extended to Nagaland and other parts of the North East. The cinematography of the first season was handled by Avinash Arun, who also co-directed. Music for the series was composed by Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor.
Reception
Paatal Lok received broad critical acclaim on release for its writing, performances and its socio-political portrayal of caste, class and religion in India. Jaideep Ahlawat's performance as Hathi Ram Chaudhary was particularly praised and is widely regarded as a career-defining role. The series was also noted for bringing wider attention to actors such as Abhishek Banerjee and Ishwak Singh.
At the Filmfare OTT Awards 2020, the show won several honours including Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Drama Series for Ahlawat. It was nominated at the International Emmy Awards in the Best Drama Series category in 2021.
Themes and significance
The series uses the three-realm framework drawn from Hindu mythology as a metaphor for Indian society, depicting the privileged urban elite, the salaried middle class, and the economically and socially marginalised. It engages with subjects including caste-based violence, communal polarisation, transgender identity, the functioning of the Hindi news media, and the working conditions of the lower ranks of the Indian police. It is regarded as a notable example of the wave of long-form Indian streaming dramas that emerged in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Controversies
Shortly after the first season's release, complaints were filed in several states alleging that specific scenes and dialogues hurt religious or community sentiments. Petitions also raised objections regarding the depiction of certain ethnic groups. The makers issued statements clarifying that no offence was intended. The series otherwise continued to stream without modifications mandated by courts at the national level.