‘Paatal Lok’ review: This crime thriller is a twisty passage into the pits of hell and the nature of man

Creator: Sudip Sharma

Cast: Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee, Jaideep Ahlawat, Niharkia Lyra Dutt

Score: 4/5

It is not in man's nature to be kind. To understand this, you need only pick up a history book and look at the last 100 years. Man has schemed, plotted and warred in the name of power and maintaining the status quo.

To many, this is a definition of hell. To Amazon's 'Paatal Lok', this is just a facet of reality. A reality where anyone will do just about anything to get what they want.

Paatal Lok is a mirror image into much of what happens in the underbelly of India's crime scene. There are actors, puppets driven by strings of masters hidden behind the scenes who drive every action with clear intent. These strings drive not only the puppets, but also those who get entangled into them.

Inspector Hathi Ram Chaudhary is a beat-down inspector with nothing to look forward to in life. His son hates him, his job is a dead-end and he lives in what he calls 'hell'. One day, however, it all changes when a call drives him to a scene where four would-be assassins are captured and he is put in charge of the case. Their target? Noted TV anchor Sanjeev Mehra, and a possible conspiracy to defame the ruling party.

Right out of the bat, Paatal Lok does not play around. A creation of the twisted mind of 'NH10' writer Sudip Sharma, the series is as twisty and deep as it gets, layered like an onion where each peel unearths more of the smell of the underbelly.

However, the show is also a look into the nature of man. In terms of conflict, the show clearly moves on the range of man versus man and man versus self. In this case, the man vs man relates to Hathi Ram's efforts to uncover the murder conspiracy and the conflict he faces from his superiors and his foes, while man vs self refers to several of the characters, who face some form of turmoil as events progress.

The series follows a fixed, forward-moving narrative with a number of glimpses into the past. And while the conspiracy of the murder is the central pillar, the numerous B-plots are what hold it together and give it the coherency it posseses. No one character has as simple a story as it initially appears, and as the plot digs deeper and deeper, the stench of the ever-hungry beast of 'power' that drives men to do deranged things that even go against their nature comes to the fore.

The linchpin to this is Sanjeev Mehra, a man, who initially appears to be of high integrity, though as the show progresses and answers come forth, one comes to question the motivations of the man who is clearly a has-been, but clings on to the last bit of power to shape narratives that he holds as a journalist. The slow cracking of the facade he holds, much like the other characters, is almost Shakespearean in nature, even if somewhat lacking in depth.

On the other hand, we have the four would-be assassins: Vishal Tyagi, the most notorious hard-headed criminal in the series; Tope Singh, a manjar with a serious inferiority complex; Kabir M, a petty thief who seems to be caught up in the game, and 'Cheeni', a girl who's just sort of there to make everything look inconspicuous. If Sanjeev Mehra is the mirror into the cracks of the facade of the affluent, these four represent the crumbling mind and hearts of the dregs of society.

To close, Paatal Lok is a strong example of what crime thrillers can be. It has a strong cast, well-driven acting and the writing is almost top-notch. It does not try too hard to come across as an 'intelligent' show, preferring to play on its strengths, and is all the stronger for it.

Also read: Rajinikanth was my first hero: ‘Paatal Lok’ actor Abhishek Banerjee