Riveting Mystery Sans The Bite

The new season of Pataal Lok opens with intrigue and ably follows the beats of a polished noir story

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

During the pandemic in May, 2020, season 1 of Paatal Lok hit us like a wrecking ball. While being confined into our homes, we went on a journey with the brooding Haryanvi cop Hathi Ram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat) into the dark heartland of the country. A world reeking of caste and class inequalities.

Based on Tarun Tejpal's book The Story of My Assassins, it delved into the origins of four killers and the systems of marginalisation that created them. In his crude, jaat logic, Hathi Ram explained to us simply: "Sometimes these insects of paatal lok (underworld) bite the inhabitants of dharti lok (human civilisation). Then what occurs is kaand (ruckus)". The messaging was clear, all crime is class war.

It was a lukewarm surprise when the second season was announced. Personally, it felt like the makers had given in to popular consensus. Those 'when season 2?' demands in the comments section or maybe, more plausibly, it was platform pressure.

But in Sudip Sharma we trust. The writer, who is the first fully-fledged showrunner in India, hasn't had a miss till now. His last, Kohrra, a misty, murder investigation in Punjab, might be devoid of external politics but it was still a deep incision into the structures of patriarchy and interpersonal relationships. Sceptical, I was still hopeful.