Paatal Lok season 2 review: Jaideep Ahlawat, a permanent niwaasi in the world of excellence, elevates this masterclass

Paatal Lok season 2 review: Jaideep Ahlawat yet again gives a performance to remember as this crime thriller does the impossible, it gets better than season 1.

Paatal Lok season 2 review: What a start to the year this has been for Indian content. In two successive weeks, we have had the two biggest streaming giants - Netflix and Amazon Prime Video - give us Black Warrant and Paatal Lok season 2, respectively. If Black Warrant was commendable for its freshness, Paatal Lok deserves even greater praise for living up to the standards set by a flawless season 1. And somehow, Sudip Sharma and Avinash Arun Dhaware make this even better than the first part, a nigh impossible task. The best show on Indian streaming has returned and managed to navigate a complex environment and intricate socio-political setting while still staying true to its roots. It's a marvellous achievement.

Paatal Lok season 2 review: Jaideep Ahlawat returns as Inspector Hathiram Chaudhary in this crime thriller.

Paatal Lok season 2 summed up

An influential political leader from Nagaland is murdered brutally in Delhi in the middle of a vital Nagaland Business Summit. Imran Ansari (Ishwak Singh), now an IPS officer, is tasked with the investigation. Parallely, Hathiram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat), who is still languishing in the Jamuna Paar Police Station, is investigating the disappearance of a lowly drug courier. Soon, the two ex-colleagues realise their cases are linked. And it takes them to Nagaland, where nobody trusts them and the local SP (Tillotama Shome) is more hindrance than help. Navigating the complexities of politics, insurgency, narcotics, and family, Hathiram must get to the truth, and that too, before this paatal lok sucks him in.

The show's creators have been adamant that season 2 is more complex than season 1. And it shows why. While the first season was set in Delhi and showed the media-political nexus there, the second season attempts to wade the dangerous waters of the political scene in Nagaland. It is an audacious task to set a murder mystery in the state and then weave in the local politics as plot elements. But the writing team manages it seamlessly. And they do it by keeping the focus on Hathiram throughout. The audiences love a good mystery. But they love Hathiram more, and the writers know it.

It's Hathiram's world and we just live in it

The recap sequence at the beginning of episode 1 is the biggest proof that the writers know what they are doing. As a montage recaps season 1, we see none of the detection and police procedure from the case but only how Hathiram navigated the obstacles in his way. This is Hathiram's journey, and the show does not stray from that even a bit.

To director Avinash Arun Dhaware's credit, he ensures that we are introduced to the politics of Nagaland but don't get lost in it. Hathiram, the outsider, is our eyes and ears in that world. But to the makers' credit, they do not present the state or its people as something alien. It is a place with people who have their own sets of issues and problems. There is no othering in the narrative, nor are they 'exoticised' in any way.

The show hinges on interpersonal equations and relationships, particularly of Hathiram and Ansari, unsure of how to behave with each other now that their power dynamics have shifted. Both Ishwak and Jaideep have brought out that awkwardness very naturally. Jaideep, in particular, is at the top of his game. He emotes with his eyes, displaying longing, frustration, and fear all so beautifully that you feel for Hathiram despite his many flaws.

Ishwak Singh and Jaideep Ahlawat's chemistry sparkles in season 2 as well.

Tillotama Shome is a great addition to the cast. The actor makes the unpredictable SP Meghna Barua a delightful character who does not fit any tropes or stereotypes. The USP of the show, however, is the support cast filled with performers from the North-East. Prashant Tamang (of Indian Idol fame) and Jahnu Barua are the standout actors but almost everyone else does their part well. Nagesh Kukunoor springs in a nice surprise as a top bureaucrat with plenty of skeletons in his closet.

In a time where content is so saturated that the audience often feels they have seen it all, Paatal Lok season 2 manages to surprise you on many occasions. There are plenty of surprises and even a few jaw-dropping moments that hit you out of nowhere. Credit to creator Sudip Sharma and the writers for retaining that freshness and originality.

Paatal Lok has retained its character in season 2, which is the biggest compliment one can give. It feels like the same show, and not something bigger or grander. OTT had made us cautious about second seasons (remember Sacred Games?), but lately, Prime Video has managed to buck the trend with The Family Man, Mirzapur, and even Bandish Bandits. Paatal Lok carries that legacy forward. Schadenfreude and relatability were the two pillars of its 'humour' in season 1, and that is intact in season 2. So don't be surprised if the meme-makers have new Hathiram one-liners ready in a few days. It is the Paatal Lok way.