‘Paatal Lok’ Season 2: Sudip Sharma, Jaideep Ahlawat says ‘We have not held back’

Paatal Lok was a landmark show of the first wave of Indian streaming. A violent, many-splendoured police thriller, it debuted during the pandemic and blew up instantly, marrying the allure of binge television to blistering social critique. Along with Sacred Games, it was among a handful of titles that got away—streaming platforms, hounded by FIRs and summons, soon bowed to self-censorship.

After a puzzlingly long gap, the returning season of Paatal Lok premieres on January 17 on Prime Video. This time, the series has swerved in a new direction: northeast India. Jaideep Ahlawat returns as Hathiram Chaudhary, the small-time Delhi cop who, to invoke a Hanumankind lyric, got “rollin’ through the city with the big dawgs”. Directed by Avinash Arun, the new season has been shot in Nagaland, Delhi and parts of North Bengal. The Hindu spoke to Jaideep and creator Sudip Sharma about what the road holds. Excerpts…

Why the long wait between the two seasons?

Sudip Sharma: There were multiple reasons. First off, we wanted to get it right. We did not just want to milk the success of the first season. Then there were the external reasons — COVID first wave, second wave. Then all of us got busy with other commitments. It was a long process of regrouping and matching our dates.

There is a new assertiveness, what we call ‘chawr’ (swagger) in Hindi, in Hathiram’s movements and actions this time. He looks surer of himself.

Jaideep Ahlawat: Thank you for noticing that. It’s there because of what he went through in the first season. Hathiram feels lucky to know about the world and the plotting behind it. Truth gives you power. He is still sitting in the same chair in the same thana but he knows his own worth better.

Jaideep Ahlawat in ‘Paatal Lok’
| Photo Credit:
MANPREETSINGHVIRK

SS: All through the first season, we thought that Hathiram desperately wanted to prove to the world—to his own son, his superiors, his colleagues—that he was capable. What he was really trying to do was prove to himself. By the end of it, the only person he could prove to was himself. Nobody else believed him, nobody else got it, and it didn’t matter.

JA: Yes, he is more at peace this season.

Hathiram’s friendship with Ansari (Ishwak Singh)… how does it evolve in Season 2? The trailer shows that Ansari has moved up the ladder, becoming an IPS officer.

SS: It is an integral part of the second season. For me, it has always been one of the core founding relationships of the show. Hathiram and Ansari represent two ways of operating and two ways of being, in the police force. They have different working styles but the same objective. Ansari being more educated — now an IPS officer — is taking the elevator while Hathiram is taking the staircase. They are going to reach the same spot.

JA: There is awkwardness between them. The new season starts from a very awkward situation, but very soon you will feel they are getting back together. They have a deep sense of trust. They cannot be IPS Ansari and Inspector Hathiram. They will be Ansari and Hathiram, irrespective of their posts.

There’s been interest in basing Hindi films and shows in the northeastern states. How did you traverse the line between authenticity and appropriation?

SS: Honestly, I don’t feel that much like an outsider to the northeast. I grew up in Guwahati, Assam. I spent 20 years of my life there. It’s a place I can easily call home.

I knew quite clearly that I did not want to do northeast exotica. We shot in Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland, and also some villages near Kohima. Apart from that, we also shot parts of it in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, and of course, in Delhi. We had an excellent research consultant from Nagaland, a wonderful lady called Anungla Longkumer who became an important asset and a good friend in the making of the show. She was present with us throughout the pre-production and shoot, and had complete access to all things creative — the script, costumes, art designs and dialogue. We wanted to make sure we got the detailing of Nagaland right. It’s a rich culture, with a unique way of living and its own sociopolitical complexities. It would have been a shame to get the portrayal wrong. 

A still from the sets of ‘Paatal Lok’ Season 2, featuring Ishwak Singh and Merenla Imsong
| Photo Credit:
MANPREETSINGHVIRK/Prime Video

JA: I had amazing experiences filming in Nagaland. One time, we were shooting in a village and folk music was being played. We record the music live. We spent Christmas at a local church. In addition to Merenla Imsong and LC Sekhose, we have wonderful local actors from Nagaland in the show. Jahnu Barua, the legendary Assamese film director, has a role as well.

The first season, though critically-acclaimed, had offended several identity groups. How careful was the treading this time?

SS: I don’t think I have circumscribed myself because of what happened with the first season. Our intent was pure and the heart was in the right place. Perhaps when season two drops, there will be some new controversies and I will think, ‘oh gosh, these people have also been offended this time’.

JA (gravely): kuch bhi ho sakta hai (anything can happen).

What are your concerns about the future of streaming in India? Is it becoming another TV?

SS: My concern is larger — it’s with the general acceptance of mediocrity in this business. I think as a community we filmmakers can do better work. The studios are forced to look at data sheets when their expectations from your initial promise are not met, and then the balance of power shifts, for then we are not playing to our advantage, which is creativity and storytelling. In my experience, if and when we are delivering on that promise and they see the rigour of our efforts in the work, they let us be. 

JA: For most people, with all due respect, filmmaking is a business. And we are all part of it. If a product can be sold on your name, you are part of it. There is a line in the show about the difference between ‘job’ and ‘duty’. There are some projects we do as a job, for material benefits, for luxury, and others which we do for ourselves, without thinking if it will even release or not.