Paatal Lok
Series Details:
| Based on | The Story of My Assassins by Tarun Tejpal |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi, English |
| Genre | Neo noir, Crime thriller |
| Seasons | 2 |
| Episodes | 9 |
| Release date | May 15, 2020 (Season 1) January 17, 2025 (Season 2) |
| Running time | 43–53 Minutes |
| Age rating | TV-MA |
| Starring | Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Richa Chaturvedi |
| Created by | Sudip Sharma |
| Directed by | Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy |
| Written by | Sudip Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, Gunjit Chopra |
| Produced by | Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Ssharma |
| Executive producers | Sudip Sharma, Karnesh Ssharma, Anushka Sharma |
| Cinematography by | Avinash Arun, Saurabh Goswami |
| Edited by | Sanyukta Kaza |
| Music by | Naren Chandavarkar, Benedict Taylor |
| Casting by | Anmol Ahuja, Abhishek Banerjee, Nikita Grover |
| Production Design by | Mukund Gupta |
| Art Direction by | Vahi Shaikh, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Ratan Suryavanshi, Ramesh Yadav, Yogesh Bansode, Singh Jaswinder |
| Costume Design by | Kirti Kolwankar, Maria Tharakan |
| Production location | India |
| Production Company | Clean Slate Filmz |
| Original Network | Amazon Video |
Trailer, Teaser & Video:
Poster & Photos:
Cast & Characters:
- Jaideep Ahlawat as Hathiram Chaudhary, a policeman
- Gul Panag as Renu Chaudhary, Hathiram’s wife
- Bodhisattva Sharma as Siddharth Chaudhary, Hathiram’s son
- Ishwak Singh as Imran Ansari, Hathiram’s junior
- Neeraj Kabi as Sanjeev Mehra, a reputable journalist and news anchor
- Richa Chaturvedi as Media House receptionist
- Swastika Mukherjee as Dolly Mehra, Sanjeev’s wife
- Niharika Lyra Dutt as Sara Matthews, a young journalist at Sanjeev’s station who begins an affair with him
- Abhishek Banerjee as Vishal “Hathoda” Tyagi, a notorious hitman and one of the four suspects arrested in the plot to murder Sanjeev Mehra
- Jagjeet Sandhu as Tope Singh (“Chaaku”), one of the four suspects who ran away from his village after murdering people of other castes
- Aasif Khan as Kabir M, one of the four suspects who hides his Muslim faith from the public
- Mairembam Ronaldo Singh as Mary Lyngdoh (“Cheeni”), a transgender Nepali woman who is arrested along with the other three suspects
- Vipin Sharma as DCP Bhagat, Hathiram’s commanding officer
- Anurag Arora as SHO Virk, Hathiram’s senior officer who previously trained under him
- Akash Khurana as Singh Saab, owner of Mehra’s news station
- Manish Choudhary as Vikram Kapoor, a former rival of Mehra’s who becomes his business partner
- Sandeep Mahajan as Delhi Intelligence officer Dahiya
- Rajesh Sharma as Gwala Gujjar, a tycoon who runs an organized crime ring out of Chittrakoot
- Sanjeeva Vats (voice) and Akshay Sharma (physical performance) as Donullia Gujjar, the shadowy, reclusive leader of Chittrakoot’s organized crime ring and Gwala’s brother; referred to as “Masterji” by his subordinates
- Anup Jalota as Balkishan Bajpayee, a prominent politician known for making inroads with Chittrakoot’s Dalit community
- Anindita Bose as Chanda Mukherjee, Tope Singh’s ex-girlfriend
- Asif Basra as Jai Malik
- V K Sharma as Old Sadhu
- Tushar Dutt as Raju Bhaiyya
- Amit Raj as journalist
- Manju Bahuguna as Hathoda Tyagi’s mother
- Ajay Raju as Chaiwala
- Suvinder Vicky AS Balbir Singh Sekhon (Sardar who rapes Chaku’s mother)
Storyline:
The show revolves around Hathiram Chowdhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) a cynical cop who gets assigned to investigate a high-profile case. As he gets caught in the investigation, he gets dragged into the darker realms of the underworld. Paatal Lok is inspired by traditional concepts of Svarga, Dharti and Paatal (heaven, earth and the hell), as metaphors for the different classes of India and the four estates, with Paatal (hell) being served as the prime phase of the storyline, which takes place in East Delhi, Delhi.
About Paatal Lok Web Series:
Paatal Lok is a Hindi crime thriller television series on Amazon Prime Video, created by Sudip Sharma, who wrote the script along with Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta and Gunjit Chopra, and directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. The series was produced by Anushka Sharma, under the banner Clean Slate Filmz.
It stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Richa Chaturvedi. Loosely based on Tarun Tejpal’s 2010 novel The Story of My Assassins.
Sudip Sharma wrote the script in January 2017, and took more than a year for writing and pre-production. It is filmed across more than 110 real locations, with Paatal Lok being the first web series to be shot at Chitrakoot. The cinematography for the series were handled by Avinash Arun and Saurabh Goswami, with editing done by Sanyukta Kaza.
The background score was jointly composed by Naren Chandravarkar and Benedict Taylor. The series marked the debut of Clean Slate Filmz (a production house led by Anushka Sharma) in production of television series for the digital medium.
Paatal Lok was premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 15 May 2020. The series received rave reviews from critics, praising the performances, storyline, writing and direction. The series were listed in the Top 10 Indian Web Series of 2020, by The Indian Express. Variety listed Paatal Lok as one of the best international TV shows of 2020.
Paatal Lok received eight nominations at the inaugural Filmfare OTT Awards, and won five awards – Best Actor (Jaideep Ahlawat), Best Series, Best Original Story, Best Screenplay and Best Direction (Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy).
In May 2020, the makers announced that the second season is to be conceptualized. On April 28, 2022, Amazon Prime announced that it has renewed the show for its second season. The season 2 will be premiered on January 17, 2025.
Paatal Lok (Season 1) Episodes List:
S1.E1 ∙ Bridges
Fri, May 15, 2020
Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary, stuck in a monotonous job, is handed a major investigation involving the attempted murder of prime-time journalist Sanjeev Mehra. As Hathi Ram starts building the case, Mehra faces mounting professional struggles.
S1.E2 ∙ Lost and Found
Fri, May 15, 2020
Hathi Ram and Ansari interrogate the four suspects, breaking one who reveals a connection to ‘Master Ji’ in Chitrakoot. Meanwhile, Mehra faces increasing pressure at work.
S1.E3 ∙ A History of Violence
Fri, May 15, 2020
In Chitrakoot, Hathi Ram investigates Tyagi’s past, uncovering the roots of his criminal activities and connections with powerful figures.
S1.E4 ∙ Sleepless in Seelampur
Fri, May 15, 2020
The investigation takes a turn with the sudden death of a key suspect. Meanwhile, Sanjeev Mehra plans to leverage his newfound popularity.
S1.E5 ∙ Of Fathers and Sons
Fri, May 15, 2020
Suspended from duty, Hathi Ram struggles to distance himself from the case while dealing with personal troubles. Sanjeev Mehra’s controversial decision creates tension with his colleague, Sara.
S1.E6 ∙ The Past is Prologue
Fri, May 15, 2020
Hathi Ram delves into the backstories of Kabir and Cheeni, doubting the CBI’s terrorism theory. Meanwhile, his son faces a grave threat from local criminals.
S1.E7 ∙ Badlands
Fri, May 15, 2020
Returning to Chitrakoot, Hathi Ram uncovers more about Tyagi’s enigmatic ‘Masterji’ and their deep connection, further advancing the case.
S1.E8 ∙ Black Widow
Fri, May 15, 2020
Tracing Tyagi’s political ties, Hathi Ram meets a mysterious woman who links Tyagi’s story with that of Tope Singh.
S1.E9 ∙ Swarg ka Dwaar
Fri, May 15, 2020
Evading Gwala’s men, Hathi Ram pieces together the case’s intricate puzzle. Meanwhile, Mehra’s victory is overshadowed by Hathi Ram’s explosive revelations.
Paatal Lok (Season 2) Episodes List:
The season 2 will be premiered on January 17, 2025.