Neeraj Kabi on ‘Paatal Lok’: My character is almost Macbeth-like

Noted actor Neeraj Kabi, a man whose slate of works, between Ship of Theseus, Talvar, and Sacred Games, is all set to appear in Amazon’s crime thriller Paatal Lok. Speaking to DH, the actor talks of his experience filming the series and what it means.

Who is your character in Paatal Lok? How does he fit in the grand scheme?

I play the character of Sanjeev Mehra, a primetime journalist and a media tycoon. There is an attempt to assassinate my character by four assassins. Their failed attempt lands them in jail where the investigating police officer takes up the challenge to probe deeper into the case and unearths shocking discoveries.

The series explores three great divides in India. The upper class where my character comes from, the middle class where the investigating police officer comes from, and the lower class (Paatal Lok) where the four assassins come from. The constant interaction of these three worlds creates the crux and larger scheme of the story.

How would you describe Paatal Lok, in comparison to your other crime thriller works?

Each of my crime thrillers have an identity of their own and have fortunately been big productions as well, reaching out to a world audience. Paatal Lok deals with the three class divides in India and addresses them each in distinct separate blocks in the series. It shows how each of these classes affect the other and the importance of their coexistence.

The series begins with a simple plot to murder and then grows mammoth in its proportions as the story unravels, shocking the audience with its investigations. My character here is almost Macbeth like, falling from being a hero to a man of no integrity.

Between Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, Talvar and Sacred Games, you have significant experience in crime and thriller media. How much of it came to play in creating your character for Paatal Lok?

None. Every time I create, it’s from scratch. No influences of any past work, even though I am tempted to.

What was the experience of filming the series like? What was it like, working with the writer of NH10, Sudip Sharma?

What I enjoyed most filming the series was my conversations with Prosit the director and Sudip Sharma the writer of the series. I was filled with questions each time I arrived on set and would head straight to them both for my answers. We had also planned together the psychological spaces my character would travel from episode to episode so that I could find my state of being in every scene and its corresponding emotions.

They had also organised rehearsal sessions before the shoot to delve deeper into our individual characters and the scenes. It was high on preparations with the actors and I found this very professional and exciting.

Sudip was there every day on set throughout the shoot and was always present for any clarifications on the script or the performance at any time of the night or day. He is a very reserved person and speaks less but speaks right.

. You have also worked in a number of theatre productions, but your last appearance was in 2017. Are there any plans to return to this sphere?

Yes, my last appearance on stage was performing for Naseerudin Shah’s theatre production of THE FATHER in 2017. I am from the theatre and will continue to perform on stage and even direct.