The second season of Amazon Prime Video’s Paatal Lok is releasing soon on the platform. The much-awaited show brings back Jaideep Ahlawat’s Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary as he attempts to solve a new case in an unfamiliar setting. Ahead of the release of the second season, show producer Sudeep Sharma spoke to HT about what went into the making of Paatal Lok season 2.Also read: Paatal Lok Season 2 Trailer: Inspector Hathiram, ‘Sir’ Imran Ansari enters the big league; Jaideep Ahlawat is worth watching,
Sudip Sharma on Paatal Lok season 2
Paatal Lok was a huge success when season 1 was released in 2022. But for Sudeep Sharma, the making of season 2 emerged not from the positives but from the negatives of the first season. “When I look back at the first season, what I see now is a set of problems. Instead of the things that worked, the focus is on the things that didn’t work, and the reasons behind that. The idea was not to revel in the success, but to focus on how to make your work better, so in the first season you have excuses, but in the second season you don’t have excuses.”
In Season 1, the protagonist, Hathiram Choudhary, had to navigate the unfamiliar setting of the upper-class world of Delhi. In Season 2, she is placed in an even more exotic setting – Nagaland. Talking about the change of scenery, Sudeep says, “It was a very conscious choice because we wanted to move forward. The audience sees the character going through a journey and overcoming the obstacles that come in his way. So, in the second season, if you give him similar adventures, the audience expects him to go through them with ease. So, the idea is really to harass him and make his life hell.
On filming and setting of season 2 in Nagaland
Setting a story in Nagaland meant that the producers, director and writers had to carefully consider the complex socio-political environment of the state, including insurgency. “It was in our minds that we didn’t want to cause harm to this extremely beautiful land and culture. We didn’t want to be looked at or ended up as invaders, cultural invaders. We didn’t want to go there and be justified or condescending. The guiding force behind it was empathy,” says Sudeep.
The filmmaker says it was a little easier for him as he grew up in the North-East. He explains, “It was a little easier for me because I grew up in Assam so had a fascination for the north-east and limited understanding of the region. Of course, Nagaland is very different.”
Sudeep says that Nagaland or the Naga people have not been used as props in Season 2 of Paatal Lok. He says, “This is as much the story of Nagaland as it is the story of Hathiram, and I hope that when viewers watch Season 2, they will see that the characters we are introducing are there for Hathiram to use or discard in his journey.” There are no props. They are single, living, breathing characters that the audience can relate to and understand, it is their journey and story, just like Hathiram.”
on Hathiram Chaudhary
In the season 2 trailer, there is a line from Hathiram about choosing between naukri (job) and duty, which Sudeep calls one of his favourites. Elaborating on that, he says, “In Hathiram, I see a reflection of my father in some ways. Not in obvious ways, because my father is not a violent person. I’m talking about that value system , especially about the attitude towards work and duty, and that attitude no matter how bad things get at you, that attitude is something I try and imbibe in my work. “
Paatal Lok Season 2 stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Tillotama Shome and Gul Panag. Produced by Sudeep Sharma and directed by Avinsh Arun Dhawre, it will stream on Amazon Prime Video from January 17.
