Paatal Lok: An Indian Crime Thriller

 Synopsis 

A celebrity TV anchor Sanjeev Mehra is the target of an assassination, the case is assigned to a cop Hathiram Choudhary who takes up the opportunity and strives to earn a promotion to make himself and his wife feel proud. The story revolves around four out-casts who are allegedly guilty for attempt to murder and how Choudhary must use his wits to find out who the real culprit is.

Well Developed Protagonist

Hathiram Choudary is a well developed character who has a well defined motivation to solve the case so that he can prove himself worthy to his wife and his superiors.

Hathiram Choudary played by Jaideep Ahalwat. 

In addition to that, he hopes to set an example for his son with whom he continues to struggle to maintain a healthy relationship, although he strives to be the father that he never had, Choudary's struggled relationship with his father makes him question his behavior with his child. All these nuances combined with Ahalwat's acting makes Hathiram Choudary the perfect protagonist with motivation, character, past and a innate desire to set things right.

Friendship Beyond The Work Place 

Hathiram Choudary and Imran Ansari's friendship that extends beyond the workplace makes the show more human, allowing Choudary and Ansari to explore their troubles in life while extending help to each other. Choudary's supportive nature to Ansari's dream to move forward in his Policing Career as he studies for his IAS exams and Ansari standing up for Choudary's son at school after he points a gun at a student helps in slowing down the show amidst the intense mystery solving.

Well Developed Secondary Characters

The four accused of the planned assassination represent the many different problems the outcast face in India.

• Cheeni's past highlights the problem surrounding child abuse, poverty, racism and discrimination against transgenders.
• "Hathoda" Tyagi's backstory is an example of the state of women safety in rural parts of India.
• Tope Singh’s past is a representation of the conflicts caused by the differences in lower and upper classes in India.
• Kabir M's past is a metaphor for religious fanaticism in India.

The show does not justify crimes or support them it only shares the story as it is and allows us to decide for ourselves.

Takedown Of Powerful Institutions

The show challenges powerful institutions and individuals such as Sanjeev Mehra who is an renowned journalist and political leaders with cult like following it makes the audience question the world around them as it blurs the lines between heroes and villains and does not present the world in a black and white manner, the show acknowledges the nuances in the fight for justice in a society divided by class.

Neeraj Kabi as Sanjeev Mehra

Metaphors

The show uses the concept of Swarg Lok, Dharti Lok and Paatal Lok to compare with the class system in India. It also uses Mahabharat's Yudishitra's Test as inspiration in the climax. The use of dogs as a metaphor throughout the show was well acclaimed by everyone and enhanced the quality of the show.

This show gained even more attraction as it was produced by Anuskha Sharma, along with BulBul that was also released in the lockdown, Sharma is pushing the envelope for quality content in India. The show is an excellent take on crime and justice in India with a dark and gritty tone.

Stream this show on Amazon Prime.