Paatal
Lok
2
breaks
the
second
season
curse
and
spins
yet
another
engrossing
mystery,
observes
Mayur
Sanap.
It
is
always
daunting
to
dive
into
shows
that
had
excellent
first
seasons,
as
more
often
than
not,
the
decline
in
potential
in
their
second
outing
can
be
saddening.
Thankfully,
the
latest
season
of
Paatal
Lok
breaks
the
second
season
curse
and
spins
yet
another
engrossing
mystery.
When
Paatal
Lok
first
aired,
it
was
something
of
a
revelation
for
its
incredible
world-building
and
a
clever
and
complex
mystery.
It
was
aided
by
a
stout-hearted
underdog
protagonist,
portrayed
by
Jaideep
Ahlawat
in
his
terrific
lead
turn.
Paatal
Lok
2
sees
the
return
of
Ahlawat
as
Inspector
Hathiram
Chaudhary
from
the
Jamna
Paar
police
station
in
Delhi.
He
is
entangled
in
a
more
complex
and
dangerous
case,
which
takes
far
away
from
his
home
turf
in
Nagaland.
For
its
own
good,
Paatal
Lok
2
doesn’t
seem
to
be
just
parodying
or
mimicking
of
what
worked
before.
It
confidently
goes
into
unexpected
direction
and
expands
on
its
storyline
in
the
most
organic
manner.
Yet,
it
is
distinctly
and
unmistakably
the
same
show,
with
the
same
sense
of
menace
and
bleakness,
and
compassion
for
its
central
characters.
Hathiram’s
subordinate
protégé
Imran
Ansari
(Ishwak
Singh)
has
risen
in
the
ranks
and
becomes
the
senior
officer.
They
get
back
together
to
investigate
the
murder
of
a
high-profile
politician
from
Nagaland
named
Jonathan
Thom,
who
is
found
brutally
murdered
in
his
hotel
room
in
Delhi.
Hathiram
and
Ansari
arrive
in
Dimapur
in
their
pursuit
of
missing
threads
and
the
looming
conspiracy.
They
meet
SP
Meghna
Barua
(Tillottama
Shome)
as
the
local
police
authority
and
begin
to
find
clues
amid
the
volatile
situation
in
the
north
eastern
state.
Clocking
in
at
eight
episodes,
out
of
which
I
managed
to
see
four
since
it
dropped
at
midnight,
the
show
lays
a
nuanced
police
procedural
action
with
just
enough
interpersonal
relationship
drama
and
a
touch
of
mystery.
Working
on
Sudip
Sharma’s
writing
foundation,
Avinash
Arun
Dhaware
steers
the
show
solo
by
taking
a
complete
charge
from
Co-Director
Prosit
Roy
of
earlier
season.
He
ably
maintains
broody
atmosphere
of
the
subject
material
and
keeps
the
narrative
consistently
engaging.
Just
like
its
debut
season,
the
plot
is
dense
and
complex
with
local
politics,
power
game,
class
divide,
oppression,
and
socio-political
realities
of
the
North
East
—
which
hardly
makes
for
a
subject
in
the
mainstream
entertainment
landspace.
In
one
of
the
scenes,
a
guilelessly
character
asks:
‘Waha
train
jaati
hain?‘
Staying
true
to
its
template,
Paatal
Lok
2
is
relentless
with
its
pursuit
in
telling
the
story
with
utmost
solemnity
and
without
any
unnecessary
sensationalism
but
at
times,
you
wish
it
packed
the
same
sharpness
in
its
police
procedural
bits
like
the
earlier
season.
The
pacing
dips
in
some
places
without
urgent
energy
and
high
stakes
but
it
makes
up
for
it
with
strong
performances.
All
of
the
actors
dig
deeply
into
their
roles,
with
Jaideep
Ahlawat
bringing
his
weary
burnout
to
perfection
in
an
immensely
watchable
central
performance.
Both
him
and
Ishwak
Singh
play
off
each
other
within
their
changed
dynamic
and
their
restrained
equation
delivers
some
of
the
most
heartfelt,
humane
moments
in
the
otherwise
grim
setting.
It
is
also
delightful
to
see
Tillotama
Shome
in
yet
another
power-packed
role
that
looks
like
a
grittier
version
of
Lipika
Rao
from
The
Night
Manager.
Film-makers
Nagesh
Kukunoor
and
Jahnu
Barua
shine
in
their
neatly
written
characters
that
add
to
the
mystery
of
the
drama.
Paatal
Lok
2
streams
on
Amazon
Prime
Video.
Paatal
Lok
2
Review
Rediff
Rating:
