Paatal Lok: Amazon’s latest makes you wonder whether we live in hell?

The series opens with Jaideep Ahlawat's character describing the three worlds he believes exist in our universe  - Swarg Lok (Heaven) at the top where Gods and Goddesses reside, Dharti Lok (Earth) in the middle where human beings like him stay and then there is Paatal Lok (Hell) at the bottom where insects live. He then goes on to suggest that the area where he is posted (Outer Jamuna Paar in New Delhi) is akin to Paatal Lok.

By the end of the series, one doubts whether this entire society that we live in may very well be hell.

This world in which 'Paatal Lok' is set mirrors our society which is filled with social evils. Casteism, discrimination against minorities, racism and transgender inequality are all prevalent and represented. And this is not it - corrupt politicians, attack on the freedom of media and fake news rear their ugly heads as well. It’s an assortment of all those real-world problems which we know exist but turn a blind eye towards as it suits us.

Streaming on Amazon Prime, Paatal Lok is produced by Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate Films and written by Sudeep Sharma. It stars Jaideep Ahlawat as Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary who is tasked with investigating an attempted murder on a prominent journalist. Jaideep Ahlawat is brilliantly convincing as the struggling police officer and lends an authenticity to the character. The scars on his face and his difficult childhood show that he has had to fight for most things in his life. Even on the personal front, his son is embarrassed of him. This high-profile case, which is assigned to him for the wrong reasons, represent an opportunity to redeem himself. He is ably supported by Ishwak Singh. He plays a Muslim cop, Imran Ansari, who faces discrimination from his fellow officers because of his religion. Unfortunately, he rarely raises his voice against it maybe because that would impede his chances of progress. Thankfully, he doesn’t run away from the challenge either.

The writer chooses to not restrict himself with this one deficiency of our society. He goes ahead and presents multitude of social issues prevalent today. This not only clouds the crime procedural drama at the heart of 'Paatal Lok' but also dilutes the underlying message it tries to communicate on these issues. The investigation traverses through the hinterlands of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as it delves deeper. The cinematography successfully brings both rural and urban India to life beautifully.

The journey, however, is far more interesting than the destination. One remains hooked as the mystery unravels only to be undermined with how it ends. Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary's quest for the truth turns into a fight against the system. He alone can't change the way it works but he ends up doing what he can within its confines. He does what he believes is pragmatic and adapts.

The actors casted as the four accused in the case perform efficiently. Each of these characters have a backstory which gives the audience a perspective on how they end up intertwined in this case. Abhishek Banarjee, as Vishal Tyagi aka 'Hathoda Tyagi', is grim. He has limited dialogues but does most of his talking with his eyes. Gul Panag, as Hathi Rams wife, does well in her limited role. Neeraj Kabi, as the famous and successful journalist, is comfortable in his role. The same cannot be said of Swastika Mukherjee who play his wife and comes across as awkward and uncomfortable in a few scenes.

There are various hard-hitting moments and scenes across the show. In one of them, we see Inspector Hathi Ram and Inspector Ansari deploy the good cop/bad cop technique of interrogation with one of the accused. While playing the bad cop, Hathi Ram uses a racist slur offensive to Muslims to demean the accused. He immediately realizes that this is inappropriate and even apologizes to Ansari. Ansari, who is clearly offended, reacts calmly and says ‘it’ worked in getting the accused to co-operate. Hathi Ram apologizing and Ansari understanding that he did not mean what he said, shows their level of maturity. If only, we at large exhibit the same trait of understanding the intent well before reaching a conclusion, the result would be a stronger and united society.

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